The Knight and the Warrior
by EvilDrTran
Summary: A tale that chronicles the romance of Batman and Wonder Woman.
1. Episode 1: The Grip

**The Knight and the Warrior**

**Episode 1: The Grip**

By LT Tran

_Disclaimer_: All DC characters are owned by DC Comics. This fic is not intended to make any monetary value. This fic is created in pursuit for the entertainment of the others.

_Author's note_: This story is based in the JLU animated series continuity the story is set after the second season of the JLU or the 4th season of JLA (depending on your point of view). Actually, as long as you have a basic knowledge of these two iconic characters, you can pretty much figure out what is going on. Okay, enough chit chat! Time to raise the bar!

**Gotham City 3:00 a.m**.

Through the canopy of the city's metal and concrete jungle of sky scrapers, the Batman was on the prowl and on a time limit. Through the cold and unforgiving rain, the dark detective ran and jumped from roof top to roof top, he was determined and focused. A killer was on the loose, a killer of the worse breed. His target's name was Connor O'Hanlan, a child molester and a murderer. This hunt took special hold of the Dark Knight because child murderers were the most abhorrent of all the criminals he had ever dealt with. O'Hanlan had 4 young victims already with each body showing signs of molestation and mutilation. This affected the crime fighter deeply.

The last couple of weeks of detective work had led him into the slums of Gotham City. The trail of clues and body locations all fell within a certain pattern which indicated that O'Hanlan was getting overconfident and getting more careless; all the easier for the Batman to find. O'Hanlan was from out of town and holed up in the Lucky Inn Motel, this put him only a couple of rooftops away from the Dark knight's location. He finally reached the motel and took note of how scruffy and decrepit the building looked. The building was on a list to be demolished next month, a perfect hideout for the killer. The building was totally dark except for a single window which was lit by a low candle light. That was where Batman needed to be. Batman noticed that the motel had a fire escape and along the structure, there were two guards on the escape and there were two more on the roof.

The cold rain was heavy and did more than an adequate job of masking Batman's movements as he jumped onto the rooftop. The knight stayed crouched, he was careful not to alert the two goons in front of him. They were armed with machine guns and chatting amongst themselves. The masked detective pulled out his batarang and mentally readied himself.

_Aren't these idiots even aware of whom they're protecting?_ This was the only excuse he needed to not hold anything back. He stealthily positioned himself behind the two chatting guards and with all his strength, he threw one batarang at the left guard. The weapon hit the back of the guard's head and instantly knocked him out. The guard next to him didn't get a chance to process what was going on. Batman hit the man in the back with both fists clenched and the goon bent over with one swift knee to the man's face, the knight managed to knock out the assailant and a few of his teeth.

Batman made his way towards the fire escape and looked down at the last set of goons guarding the lit window a few stories down. The knight reached into his utility belt and grabbed a rope, and a dart gun which contained a sleep toxin. He then aimed the dart gun at one goon and fired.

With a silenced burst of air the dart hit its target and one of the goons fell to the grating of the fire escape. The second guard noticed immediately but before he could react he felt a rope wrapped around his chest and he felt himself being pulled through the air. The goon reached the roof and he hit the building's roof ledge and the next thing he knew he was on his back looking straight up at an imposing silhouette with white eyes staring down at him. The rain pelted the goon's face as the shadow picked him up held him in the air.

"Batman!" The thug said nervously.

"I'll ask and _you_ answer!" The Knight directed as he tightened his grip on the captive.

"Y-yes sir!" The guard answered fearfully.

"Are there any more guarding O'Hanlan?"

The goon shook his head no.

"Has he done anything to the little girl?"

"N-no! The sicko hasn't started yet! He's washing the little girl right now. The kid is only 9 years old."

The Knight frowned. "You called him a sicko and never bothered to stop him before? You are as evil as he is."

The knight clearly saw a combination of fear and shame on the goon's face. Batman growled and punched the goon in the stomach and kneed him in the face with a jaw-shattering force. He broke the goon's jaw and lifted him over the side of the roof and let him hang on the side of the building.

With no time to waste, he quickly made his way down the fire escape and reached the lit window. Peering through the glass, he saw that O'Hanlan was tying up a little blonde girl to the bed posts. The girl's eyes were clearly red with tears and her face was flushed. The knight looked at O'Hanlan and saw that he had red hair and he was a man of small and wiry frame. The maniac was smiling at the little bound girl.

"It's okay little girl. It'll be over before it starts," Whispered, O'Hanlan.

The girl was wracked with fear and helplessness and she started to cry. Next thing she knew there was a large crash through the window and a shadow ran across the room and grabbed the maniac. She tried to see what was happening and as quickly as it started the room was empty. A few minutes later, a dark figure reappeared; he was not O'Hanlan but the Batman. The dark knight walked over to the little girl and cut her loose.

"Are you ok?" Batman asked gently. She hugged him tightly.

"Did he touch you in any bad way?"

She shook her head no.

"It's alright now. You're safe; the police will arrive and take you home in a few minutes." He assured the little girl as he hugged back.

Moments later, on the rainy roof top, Batman held his prey in his grasp. "You're going to jail, O'Hanlan."

The small man did not struggle nor did he have any fear, he only wore a smug smirk on his face. With that look, it was the only excuse the Knight needed to punch the little man in the gut. The wind was knocked out of him.

"I know who you are O'Hanlan. Do you think you can get out of this with your parents' money? It's over. Kiss your lifestyle good bye."

"Heh. I had a good life. A real good life," said O'Hanlan. "No matter what you do to me I'll always have my memories and it was a fun ride while it lasted."

Batman did not react to this strange statement. Then he saw the man bite something in his mouth and O'Hanlan started to laugh. The man started to convulse in the Knight's grasp and his eyes rolled back into his head. O'Hanlan was dead. The knight was stunned but did his best to be stoic. The knight opened O'Hanlan's mouth and examined the contents in his mouth. A cyanide tablet. The monster committed suicide and got away. Batman angrily threw the limp body of the murderer to the floor. Distant police sirens were approaching and the outcome of this ordeal was not good. The monster was gone and he would not harm another innocent soul again and yet, the victory did not belong to the Dark Knight. The rain felt especially bitter and cold tonight.

**JLA Watchtower**

A few days later the Justice League held their bi-weekly meeting all of the core members were in attendance; Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and the Green Lantern. Throughout the meeting, Diana sat and listened to the other members as they each contributed to the meeting. Subjects spanned from personal adventures with certain villains, to world politics. Batman, she observed, was quiet. Oh sure he was always quiet during meetings but he always had at least one thing to say in each meeting. He was a statue. Not moving, not reacting, he seemed to be deep within his shell. He ignored any inquiry from the other members about how he was doing.

When the meeting was finally over, everybody exited the room except for Batman and Wonder Woman. Diana stood up from her chair and walked over to Batman. She perched herself next to the Dark Knight. She looked at him and saw how deep in thought he was.

"Are you okay?" Diana inquired. She waited a few moments; no response.

The princess took Batman's gloved hand and squeezed lightly. She leaned closer to his ears.

"Bruce?" She whispered. "Are you in there?"

After another long moment, the dark knight finally stirred he turned to look at her. Diana's eyes were intense yet nurturing. Before her warmth was able to take further effect on him, Batman stood up from his chair and quickly walked away. This was not a place to be, not right now. He needed his sanctuary. He walked out of the meeting room and towards the transporters.

"Batman! Wait!" Wonder Woman shouted as she chased the knight down the corridor. He swiftly walked into the transporter room and stepped in to the transporter and with a brief flash of light he disappeared. Wonder Woman tried to follow him but the transporter would not activate.

"Locked." She hissed. Then Superman walked into the room.

"How is he?" asked the Man of Steel. "Were you able to get to him?"

"Only enough for him to run away. Have you ever seen him like this before?"

"Yes, but very rarely. Last time he was like this was after the black mercy incident a couple of years ago. He got over it eventually."

"Yeah I remember."

"Maybe you should let him be. He'll come around." Super said, as he patted her shoulder. With that comment, Superman left the room and Diana stood there alone.

A few minutes later, Diana was in the media room checking out the latest news. She was surrounded by monitors, all broadcasting different news from different regions of the world. However, Diana was not paying attention to anything coming from the monitors; she was thinking a lot about her current situation in life. She was happy in general. Spiritually, she's healthy; physically, she's at her most prime; mentally, Diana feels sound and at peace. Socially, she has many friends. Romantically…well, that's still in question. She didn't come to Man's world to seek romance. Her mission was to bring peace to a world that was spiraling out of control. She prepared all her life to be where she is today. She strived to bring this violent world from the brink and give it the peace it deserves.

_"Connor O'Hanlan, the only heir to the O'Hanlan Family Fortune was found dead in Gotham City on Wednesday morning. Police reports indicated that Connor O'Hanlan was linked to a series of child murders. O' Hanlan committed suicide before police were able to apprehend him. His latest victim was rescued by the Batman." _

Diana narrowed her eyes; there was the missing piece of the puzzle. She had to go to the Batcave, in to his world and see if this piece of news has anything to do with his behavior.

**The Batcave**

It took J'onn half an hour to bypass the security measures placed by Batman. Once Diana arrived in the Batcave, she immediately felt the darkness surround her and there was a cold drafty reception from the Dark Knight's domain. She looked around for the Batman, the cave was near total darkness, the only sources of lights were emanated from the monitors of his super computer and another source close to the computer was a pillar of light. In the light there was a high back chair almost resembling a sort of throne and in the warmth of the bright pillar sat a brooding Batman. He was just sitting there, most of his body was visible in the light except for part of his upper chest and beyond; his elbows rested on the arms of the chair and his hands were clasped. The Dark Knight's head and neck was completely shrouded in the chair's shadow. She could see the Knight's white eye lenses were narrowed and fixed on her. Diana responded to this by staring back at those white glowing slits. As she gazed back at him she tried hard to imagine what his real eyes were doing. Were they nervous? Hurt? Blank?

Suddenly she felt the need to confront her team mate and reach out to him as a friend. To bring him back from whatever darkness that has consumed him. Wonder Woman stepped out of the transporter unit and walked towards the chair's occupant. She was nearly halfway to her destination when his tired voice stopped her in the middle of her tracks.

"Diana, why did you come here?" asked the Batman.

"I wanted to come and see you."

"Didn't locking you out of the transporter give you any indication of me wanting to be left alone?"

"Yes." Diana replied.

"Then why didn't you respect my wishes?"

"I came here because…." Diana stopped and thought for a minute at this question. She looked into his cold white eyes. He was becoming different, something worse was taking place. From what the princess could tell, he was in the process of being consumed by his weaknesses, his obsessions.

"Bruce, I saw the news about O'Hanlan. Is this the cause of your distancing?"

The detective was silent. Diana walked over to him and knelt in front of him. She ungrouped his hands and held them in hers. He could feel her warmth permeating through his gloves. He looked into her eyes through his cowl's lenses. Something in him did not like the view through his lenses. It was dulling her beauty. His eyes were sore.

He slipped back his cowl over his head and he could feel the vapor of perspiration let loose. Despite taking off the mask, his face was still in the shadow's curtain. Now, with no obstruction of his view of Diana, he began to feel the veil of darkness slowly loosen its grip on his soul.

"What happened, Bruce?" She asked him in the most comforting voice she could muster.

When she spoke the way she did Batman could almost feel the key within him turn. Her voice was the calm he needed to soothe the storm which ruled him for most of the week. He allowed himself to relax. He wiped away the sweat beading down his forehead and breathed in to focus.

"I was there Diana. I was there when O'Han- when that _thing _died."

"Tell me, Bruce. Why does this bother you so? Didn't he die? Isn't it the end of his bloody trail?"

"He knew he was going to die anyways in death row." Bruce added immediately. "He committed suicide."

Diana started to understand, where Bruce was headed with his statement. She just listened as he spoke.

"The night he died, as soon as he knew I was there it was all over. Next thing I knew, he won. He died on his own terms. He died before justice was able to deal its hand. He won that night Diana. I was not fast enough. For once, I did not prepare for all the possibilities. I became over confident and I paid the price with bitter defeat."

"Bruce…, you can't help that. You're—"

"Not superman?" Bruce interrupted gruffly.

"No." She said, as she gripped Bruce's gloved hand. "What I meant was not perfect." Diana corrected.

"He died happy."

"Bruce, you can't say that."

"Died without answering to the victims' families."

"Bruce…"

"DIED KNOWING HE DEFEATED ME!" He yelled fiercely as he pulled his hand away from Wonder Woman's hand. He stood from his chair and went into the shadows.

"Bruce, this is too much for you. You're letting this memory eat away at you. Don't let him win even more."

"I…I know, Diana. I just don't like to lose. Ever."

"I understand, Bruce. You're just being too hard on yourself. Harder than anyone can expect."

"This war I'm waging. How far will it go? I've sacrificed too much of my life to this cause", He asked doubtfully from the shadows. "I can't fathom risking another loss like that. Failure is not an option for me."

Diana was surprised by this sudden sense of doubt coming from the usually steadfast Dark Knight. She wasn't sure how she should answer this. She has never been in so deep within Bruce's personal world. She could do her best to tell him of her thoughts but that would only in end up in debate. For now, she can only think of one thing to do to alleviate Bruce's sense of burden. It was Amazonian in nature.

"I think we should go to the city. The sun had already set 2 hours ago. We should work for the answer to your question rather than try to talk it out to find one." Diana suggested with a tinge of hope in her voice. "I will accompany you but I will stay out of your way."

Bruce was taken aback a little by this suggestion from the Amazon princess. Rather than verbally answer her, he simply put on his cowl over his face and stepped out of the shadows and walked past her.

"Let's go. We're going in the Batmobile."

They both walked towards the Batmobile as the vehicle was being rotated towards the cave entrance. The canopy of the car opened up and both Wonder Woman and Batman sat in the vehicle's seats. As they buckled, Diana looked up at him and smiled slightly. He saw her smile and paused for a moment. Then he turned the key and the fierce engine of the Batmobile came to life. The canopy closed and the dashboard readout came to life with lights and glowing gauges. The car rumbled fiercely and in a split second, the Batmobile roared out of the bat cave and headed towards Gotham City, to Batman's hunting grounds.

**Gotham City, Wayne Tower**

The two stood on the highest perch of the building, the highest point in Gotham City. To Diana, the city looked immaculate at night; it wasn't a day city like Metropolis. This city was ugly during the day. Only in the twilight did it truly come to life, this was the City of Midnight. She gazed over to Batman and watched his cape flowing in the wind. The Dark Knight was kneeling on one knee as he placed two fingers on his cowl's left ear scanning the police radio. This was definitely his city. Batman and Gotham City were one with each other…almost like lovers.

Six hours later, they were back in the Batmobile headed to a destination unknown to her. Through out the night, Diana stood back and watched as Batman worked his city's underworld with an intense determination and ferocity. He worked the criminal element as if Achilles himself was reincarnated in the Dark Knight. She wondered how many years it took for him to reach this level of conditioning and discipline. To what ends of the world did he traveled to acquire all the tools and skills needed to attack the hearts and minds of all criminals. This holy war of his seems downright daunting from an outsiders' point of view, from her point of view. Is he in it to abolish crime altogether? Or will he stop at a certain level which is more manageable for the police? Or will he keep fighting until the very spirit of his being is spent? Or is it something worse? Does he even know at all? She took note of this. This is what she'll have to ask him by the end of the night.

She took the tally in her mind on what was accomplished so far. So far, he has stopped three muggings, an attempted rape, stopped a 20 man gang rumble, and put a pimp out of business. Overall, all of these went down flawlessly. She peered over to Bruce; he seemed to be more in peace. She decided to break the silence.

"There were many victories tonight. Are you feeling better?"

There was silence for a moment. "A little bit."

"Did you figure out what you were looking for?" She asked.

"The patrol tonight was what I needed to get my mind off of O'Hanlan. Tonight, was my first night out on patrol since that incident."

"Wow. That must've been one heck of an impression for him to leave behind."

Batman nodded slightly as he kept his eyes on the road. "When I succeed so many times and in such frequency, sometimes I forget that I can lose once in a while. Somehow, each time I am defeated, I'm always caught off guard."

Diana nodded in agreement. "It is never easy to be humbled. I know how you feel. I have the strength of many and yet, no matter how hard I try, defeat always manages to rear it's ugly head."

"You reminded me of something important tonight, Diana."

"What was that, Bruce?"

"Just…something fundamental."

She waited as he looked for the words he needed.

"You reminded me that the night with O'Hanlan was a small defeat in the overall crusade. . It was a strategic victory but justice was defeated. I haven't lost the war, just the battle. I allowed myself to become too wrapped up with O'Hanlan. Thank you for reminding me of what's important."

Diana smiled at his gratitude. She fixed her eyes on the road ahead. It felt nice to be the one to bring him into the light.

"You're welcome, Bruce."

The Amazon looked in the corner of her eyes and for a moment, she almost saw a smile on Bruce's face. It was nearly 4 o'clock in the morning and fatigue had started to set in on the princess. She wiped the corner of her eyes to keep them open. Next thing she knew, the Batmobile's dash board started to make a few beeps and the then she smelled the aroma of coffee coming from in front of her. A cup of coffee slid out from the dashboard and she took a needed drink from it. The warmth of the coffee revitalized her senses and lifted her awareness.

"Thank you. I needed that."

"It's a special brew concocted by Alfred."

"So where are we headed?"

"One last stop, Arkham Asylum."

She tightened up a little bit. "Arkham?"

"I have to make a routine check on someone."

This is something new, Diana thought. This is as far as she has ever been into his world. Is this a new direction in there friendship? It was interesting to see him in action. To see his enemies cower before him. When she fought along side him they would usually go up against megalomaniacs and world invaders. His strength was his strategic mind. Out here in Gotham he was a symbol of fear to those who dare tread in the dark. He was a force to be reckoned with if you were his enemy. On the other hand, he was a powerful ally and a loyal friend. She felt fortunate to have met him and to work alongside him. However, few and far between they spend anytime together.

Only another leaguer had ever been to Arkham and that was the Green Lantern. As far as she could recall, the Green Lantern had to deliver the Joker to the Asylum after his capture in Metropolis. When GL returned after the drop, she remembered how glad he was that he didn't have to deal with the likes of Bruce's rogues' gallery on a daily basis. As the Batmobile approached closer to its destination, the Asylum's silhouette became more visible. Diana mentally braced herself.

**Arkham Asylum**

As they walked down the corridor which was designated as 'Special Cases', Wonder Woman followed behind Batman as they walked past each room; all of which had a clear observation glass as a wall. On each cell door there were name plates. She followed Bruce past the first cell assigned to the Scarface. As they walked past the glass, she glanced over and saw a little old man talking to a ventriloquist dummy dressed in gangster clothes. The old man slapped himself with the dummy's hands. Batman ignored this as he walked past the cell. Diana felt pity for the little man.

Then they walked past Killer Croc's cell. She saw that the occupant was huge in stature and his gray skin looked very reptilian. The Croc's face was dressed in blood and he had a rat's tail sticking out of the side of his mouth. Then Diana heard a crunch as he chewed. He was silent but his yellow eyes followed her as she walked away.

Next was Poison Ivy's cell. Her cell was decorated with greenery unlike the ordinary cells previous, her cell seemed lush and alive. The lady inside had green skin and red hair she was strikingly beautiful. Ivy smiled and for a moment Diana was entranced by her Aphrodite-like appearance. She started to walk towards the glass when suddenly she felt a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Don't let her get to you." Batman said as he tapped Diana's shoulders.

This snapped Wonder Woman into attention. "Sorry, thanks."

As Diana and Batman walked away, Ivy pressed herself against the glass and stuck her tongue out at the two. Then they walked past Jonathon Crane's cell. The only thing she saw was a tall gangly man standing in his corner in a scarecrow outfit being as still as possible except for the piercing glare coming from his eyes.

"My, my, a fair mare. Welcome to my cold lair." The man rhymed eerily.

Next was Harvey Dent's cell, as she followed Bruce, she saw a man wearing a suit with two different halves, a black side and a white side. His face was covered in shadow; he was seated and flipping a coin in the air repeatedly. When she walked past him, he accidentally dropped his coin. He bent over and picked up his coin. His face was exposed to reveal a grotesque half and a normal half. The Princess couldn't help but feel a bit shaken by his outward appearance. Two-face smiled and managed a twisted sounding whistle.

Finally, they reached the final cell, labeled only Joker. Before they stepped in front of the glass, Batman stopped and turned around. He had a look of slight concern on his face. They were both standing in the shadow between the cells.

"Wait here."

"What? Why?" Diana asked.

"I don't want you to be on his black list.

"I met him before, I can handle him."

"I know you can, please respect my wishes."

Diana understood his motives and smiled slightly. Don't know why she did. But she couldn't help but smile. "From one warrior to another." She nodded in agreement and stepped back. Batman nodded and walked away into the light in front of the cell's observation glass.

"Hello, Joker."

"Batsy! Batsy! You were late! I was beginning to worry about you. I missed you sooo much."

Diana could hear them both clearly as they talked. Despite the Joker being human, he was eerie and gave her the creeps.

"I've been keeping tabs on your adventures on the outside, Batsy. That O'Hanlan one must've really got under your skin. Personally, I was hoping that you'd catch him so I can give him a dose of his own medicine."

"Is that so?" Batman replied.

"Of course! You see, heh heh, this is how I see it. I'm your exact opposite; I'll do things you would never dream of doing. I complement you more than you realize. If he was brought here you KNOW I would have a word or two with him. There's nothing we have in common but if there is something we share is our disdain for child rapists-murderers. You see? HAHA! There are worse monsters than me roaming around out there! HAHAHAHA! Isn't that a kicker? If you let me loose Batsy, let's work together and round up the herd! You do the detective work and I'll show you how handle that kind of evil! Imagine that! Joker and the Bats working together! "

Batman did not respond.

Joker laughed for a moment and was silent. He gazed at the Dark Knight. "What's wrong Bats? Cat got your tongue?"

"I'll never work with you. Ever."

"What's wrong? Scared to admit it? Admit it! You know we'll work well together! C'mon! You know you want to! Imagine that! The Chaotic DUO! No no! How about the Ying Yang Twins! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Batman walked off, this was sufficient enough conversation to know that the Joker was really in his cell instead of another imposter. Diana followed suit as the laugh of the Joker echoed throughout the whole corridor. The sooner the better the warrior thought, but she tried not to show it.

**The Batcave**

Once they arrived at the Batcave the time was already close to 5:00 am. As Diana stepped out of the Batmobile, she looked over to Bruce as he stepped out of the cockpit of the vehicle. Since leaving Arkham Asylum, the two have been quiet with each other. She straightened the bangles on her wrists and made her way towards the transporter pod that led back to the JLA Watchtower. Batman escorted her to the entrance of the pod. Before entering, Diana turned towards the Dark Knight.

"Bruce, I need to ask you something before I leave."

"Alright."

"How long will it last?" The Princess asked.

"How long will what last?" Bruce replied.

"This war of yours. How will this all end?"

Batman narrowed his eyes. For a long while, he was silent.

"Do you even know?"

"Yes, I do." Bruce replied. "As long as it takes, Diana. Why do you care?"

"Tonight showed me how determined you were to do things alone. It nearly swallowed you whole. I've watched you over the years as we fought together and I watched the old news videos of your exploits. When you succeeded, you did so very magnificently. But whenever you don't succeed, you fall hard…harder than a bronze statue falling over."

"Thank you for the psychoanalysis." Bruce said sarcastically. "And your mission, Diana? Is your mission any shorter or different?"

"No, it's not different. Only….I can live in hundreds of lifetimes. While you…"

Batman interrupted. "You don't have to say it. Go home Diana."

The Detective started to turn away. Before he could walk away, he felt a strong grasp on his arm stopping him from moving.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

Batman's back was towards her still. He looked towards the ceiling exhaustedly.

"Why are you still here Diana?"

"Listen to me now. You're tough Bruce. No one can do a lot of the things you're able to do. Not me, not Superman, no one. When things don't go your way, I don't want you to fall this hard again."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right." Wonder Woman stated. She walked over to Bruce and whispered into his ear. "When you fall, Bruce, I want to be there for you. You descend into very deep depths. Please don't push my friendship aside like some token."

Bruce's hardened exterior slacked a little. "I…I won't promise you anything but for you...I'll try. I'm sorry; I just can't help it sometimes."

Without much indication, Diana kissed Bruce lightly on the lips. With that gesture of warmth and tenderness, he closed his eyes and allowed all of the remaining bitterness from the O'Hanlan incident and the visit to Arkham Asylum lose their grip on his soul. When Diana pulled away, he looked into her intense yet gentle blue eyes. She smiled and pulled away.

"Sometimes, you can't make it on your own, Bruce. All it takes is Wonder Woman to pull you through."

With that final remark, she winked at him and disappeared into the transporter. With a brief flash of light, she was gone. The Knight was alone now. It's too soon for him to process what just happened with Diana. Usually, he would torture himself with scrutiny and over analyze the moment. Not right now. He allowed his humanity to take over. Bruce smiled.

"Until next time, Princess…until next time."

To be continued…

Episode 2: Savage's Prey


	2. Episode 2: Savage's Prey

The Knight and the Warrior:

Episode 2: Savage's Prey

By Long T. Tran

Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by DC Comics. This fic is not intended to make any monetary value. This fic was created in pursuit of reader entertainment.

Special thanks to Meljean Brook, for helping me tweak my writing voice.

Author's Public Announcement: I find that I am really enjoying the experience of writing about these iconic two characters. However, I feel rather lost as to how the readers are receiving my material. I believe that the next two chapters will be the most crucial point of the series and for me as a writer. Although the reader reviews of the first chapter were positive yet very few, I feel that if I did not write a good story, then I will not get much feed back. I am a more of a storyteller than a writer. A story teller is an entertainer and the joy shared between the teller and the listener is identical to that of a writer and a reader. A good storyteller can gauge whether the tale he weaves is involving based on the reactions of his listeners. A writer does the same but in a more difficult manner. The story he composes has to be finished before knowing whether it is worthy of continuing on.

So, with all humility and joy, I thank those who took the time to write me on my first outing. I thank my first readers; those who wrote and those who haven't for taking the time out of their busy lives to read what was so far written. For those who haven't written me yet…well, there's my ultimate challenge; a self-imposed challenge that I put on to myself. I challenge myself to write the best story you readers have ever laid your eyes upon. To make the tale so good and so involving that it makes the silent readers to come out and ask the storyteller to weave more tales and adventures!

Downtown Keystone City

The explosion rocked the skyscrapers of Keystone City. The Robot stood 10 feet tall. It had a dome shaped head and a single eyepiece. The machine had thick round arms which flailed around like a land stranded squid. The body was made of a chrome-like metal and its mobility was a technology of repulsor lifts which allowed the robot to float in mid-air. Outward looks aside, the mechanic dynamo had the strength of Superman and it shot blue laser beams from its eyepiece. Just another typical day for the Justice League, Batman thought to himself as he dodged out of the path of a flung car. The machine was from another time period and was sent back to disrupt the timeline. Another typical prevent-history-alteration scenario; these situations always made the vigilante nervous.

Superman flew overhead like a speeding bullet and impacted the robot with an earth-shattering force. The man of steel was against the machine's chest. He punched as hard and fast as he could in an attempt to stop the machine from endangering the populace. One of the machine's tendril arms wrapped itself around Superman's waist. Then a bolt of laser laced with high voltage energy electrocuted the superhero and swatted him through a building like a wrecking ball. The building's concrete rubble fell over the man of steel. Superman was knocked out.

Having seen what happened, Batman estimated that Superman would be out for at least two minutes. He the noticed that the machine's chest cavity was slightly exposed and there was a pulsating light coming from the damaged area. Wonder Woman appeared directly above the robot and managed to tie her golden lasso around the machine's waist. She landed behind the time droid and tightened her grip on the threads. The warrior princess swung the cybernetic in an arch and slammed it against the concrete with a meteoric force. The robot went limp and inactive. The princess touched down near the fallen machine and inspected her handy work. She kicked the robot to make sure it was out. Then she gazed over to Batman and gave him her thumbs up.

Across the street, the Martian Manhunter was recovering; he was down and out through the battle. Batman ran over to him. When the green Martian regained his senses he took out a scanner from his back pocket and scanned the robot. His red eyes widened.

"What's wrong, J'onn?" Batman asked.

"The droid is recharging his energy cells. He's going to attempt another time jump. We can't let him escape or he'll alter the timeline."

"Right," The Dark Knight agreed. Then, suddenly, Bruce immediately saw a twitch from one of the robot's tendrils. "Diana! Watch out!"

The droid's tendrils wrapped around Wonder Woman like two hungry snakes coiling around its prey. The Warrior princess struggled to free herself from its strong grip. Without hesitation, Batman ran. He reached into his utility built and grabbed two batarangs laced with electro-magnetic explosives designed to take down any artificially powered machine. As the robot floated, a ripple in time and space appeared behind it and a brightly lit tunnel appeared. Batman threw two batarangs into the open wound of the machine's chest.

The batarangs stuck onto the beast and surged their didruptive energy. Bolts of electromagnetic currents swam through the robot's innards. Then the detective noticed that the time hole began to fluctuate and destabilize. He ran towards Diana whose still in the machine's grasp.

Wonder Woman began to loosen the droid's grip when suddenly the machine managed to float through the time stream with her in toll. As the two disappeared, Bruce acted on impulse.

"BATMAN! DON'T DO IT!" Superman yelled as he got out from under the rubble.

"Diana!" The knight yelled out as he jumped into the time tunnel. Then the bright vortex closed on itself and all was clear and calm.

"NO!" Superman screamed. They were gone. Not knowing what to do, he angrily gave the concrete a shattering pound. He was too late. Then he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, it was J'onn.

"Come, let's get back to the watchtower and try to find our friends."

Superman nodded in agreement and stood up. He pressed a small button on his earpiece. "Superman to watchtower."

"Watchtower here. Over." The voice rang out in response.

"Two to transport."

There was a pause. Kent could sense the confusion coming through his earpiece.

"Uh…affirmative, Superman." The confused voice replied.

The two superheroes disappeared in a flash. They left with hope that they could get their friends back from wherever or whenever they ended up.

Time, Place Unknown

Evening time, the green plains were serene and the clear skies were a dark reddish purple. In the middle of the green pastures was a dirt road. On the earthy path there was an Asian man and his horse walking west towards the setting sun. The horse was carrying a heavy load of pots, pans, two boxes containing clothes, and other personal belongings. The man was humming an old Asian folk song, when all of a sudden, a bright vortex appeared. It was windy and the tunnel rang with a thunderous sound. The man was mortified as he saw a giant metallic creature with snake-like arms falling backwards away from the opening. As the machine dropped to the ground, a woman came out and she landed on the monster very hard. Then with a kick, she jump-flipped off of the robot and landed on the soft ground. The man had decided that he had seen enough; he screamed and ran away as fast as he could and left his horse behind.

As Diana turned around to face her enemy, she saw that Bruce's batarangs were still stuck on the robot and still active. The cyborg began to move around erratically and its repulsor lifts were destabilizing. This kept the machine off-balance. Behind the droid, she saw Batman tumble out of the vortex and landed softly on his feet. He quickly noticed the machine's behavior and made his way towards her while avoiding the wily creature.

"Let's go find some cover." Batman said quickly as he grabbed Wonder Woman by the arm and led her behind a nearby hill.

"What's it doing, Batman?" The black haired princess asked.

"Something I hope doesn't happen."

Surely enough, what he hoped won't happen…happened. The droid exploded. The two heroes ducked to avoid the debris. A moment later, the heroes peered over the hill. Batman was the first to walk over to the flaming wreckage. He did a quick overview of the site and shook his head negatively. Concerned, Diana followed him.

"This is not good. Not good at all."Batman commented pessimistically.

"I assume this machine was our only ticket back."

Batman only nodded slightly in confirmation. Without wasting another minute, he started to explore the debris field which was illuminated by sporadic flames of the burning wreckage. The princess watched as the detective worked.

Diana frowned. She turned around and did a quick survey of their immediate surroundings in an attempt to gauge where and when they've ended up. The sun had set completely and the night full of stars. Then she felt a strong nudge against her shoulders. She heard a deep snort and recognized the stench. She turned around to see and her eyes lit with encouragement.

"Batman, take a look at this!" Diana yelled excitedly. "Our friend here has some clues!"

Batman peeked over the wreck and saw the horse. He quickly walked past Wonder Woman and grabbed the lead. He efficiently untied the rope that held all of the luggage and personal items together on the back of the horse. All of the pieces fell to the ground. Diana watched in fascination as her teammate quickly and methodically organized the items and examined each piece. She without disturbing him, she walked over to the examining area and sat down. As the detective worked, she observed his every move. He had great qualities, she thought to herself. No matter how tense the situation, she felt lucky to end up out here with him. If he hadn't followed her through the time vortex, she might've ended up here alone. The thought rattled her. She thanked the gods silently.

"Hmm." Batman commented as he examined a white pot and some articles of clothes. "I think I know where and when we've ended up."

Diana waited with dreaded anticipation.

"Judging by the looks of these items, I say we are in China. Ancient China, to be exact, I think roughly around the 12th or 13th century AD."

Diana felt her jaw drop by the revelation. She was already unfamiliar with the modern world; ancient China was even more alien to her.

"This was a very dangerous time," Bruce stated coldly. He started to gather the items together. "This period in history was very ruthless. We have to take precautions now if we are going to explore this land unnoticed. Lets go set up camp."

Diana nodded in agreement. An hour later, they set up the camp fire well away from the debris field and far enough from the road so they wouldn't be detected. The location was in a patch of trees and the camping ground had a wooden log placed near the fire pit. As Batman started the campfire, Wonder Woman made two flights between the camp site and their arrival site to gather their new found belongings. As the princess returned from her final flight, Batman noticed that she carried the horse from the arrival site by using her lasso as a carrier for the steed during flight. The knight was used to such sights of feat. He sat down on a log in front of the fire and began to cook a meal using a wok he found from the horse's possessions.

"What are you cooking?" The princess asked as she tied the horse to a nearby tree.

"Duck, I think," The cowl avenger replied. "There were packs of salted meats in a bag; I grabbed the best edible looking one I could find."

"So how long do you think it'll take for our teammates to find us?" Diana asked as she comforted the horse with a pat.

"Judging from how randomly we jumped, the watchtower computers would have to sift through the entire course of human history to locate our temporal transponders. Locating us will take at least three days and locking on to our exact time and location will take another three. It takes the tower to fully charge its time transporters to send us any help or hope of any return."

Diana sat down next to Batman as he cooked.

"Great Hera," The warrior princess commented glumly as she gazed at the delectable meal. "At least 6 days in ancient China. So what do you plan for us to do in the meantime?"

"We just need to keep a low profile and try to stay out of trouble. I don't want us to attract any attention. Unfortunately, most of the food in the sack was already rotting, so we'll have to venture into the nearest settlement to gather more supplies. I've gathered some clothing to help us disguise our appearance."

Bruce pulled his cowl back to reveal his perspired face. Diana looked over and noticed how the light from the fire made the shadows on his face dance. She smirked; he was the only guy she ever met who looked striking in low-light settings. Bruce noticed the her gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare," Diana apologized with a slight blush. "I'm just glad that you're here with me."

For a moment, Bruce didn't react to her comment. He just turned away from her and started to look through the pockets of his utility built. Diana felt slightly rejected by his cold reaction. The princess tried not to let the feeling sink in. She grabbed a bowl from a nearby sack and started to gather some cooked meat from the wok and began to take a few bites. The taste and texture of the duck was good yet familiar; she never had duck but it reminded her of beef, greasy beef.

"Here, I've found it." Bruce said as he looked over to Diana.

"What is it?" Diana asked as she took another bite off of the meat. She looked over and saw two gold star earrings which resembled hers.

"I want you to wear these. The earrings contain a new type of communicator. It will keep us in constant contact in case one of us gets lost. These communicators have extreme long range, are hands-free, and only your inner ear will hear my voice, and they are completely soundless if anyone happen to be eavesdropping. All it takes is a whisper for the device to carry through. It also works as a language translator."

"Sounds handy." Wonder Woman said as she took the earrings from Bruce's hands. She looked into his eyes and gave him a mischievous grin. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for the lovely gift."

Bruce frowned at this. He stood up and looked away from her. "You do realize that it is my fault that we are stranded here."

"You shouldn't say that Bruce." Diana said as she stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. She squeezed lightly. "It was inevitable. We had to stop the droid no matter what. You know the repercussions."

After much thought, the dark knight turned around. "You're right." Bruce agreed. "We had no choice."

"It's alright. I know we'll get through this." The princess encouraged as she wrapped her arms around Bruce. "We've been in worse situations. Batman and Wonder Woman can get through this together."

Bruce tensed a little bit. He could feel that her body felt chilly and cool. He did his best not to show his nervousness and delicately wrapped his arms and cape around her. She was completely enveloped. The Amazon felt that it was time to take the initiative again. She closed her eyes and meditated. She wasn't a telepath but she tried to give her friend a sense of peace which he constantly denies himself.

"You're cold." He coolly stated. He tightened his grip around her and let the warmth of his body soothe over to hers. Bruce could've sworn that he felt her comforting aura penetrate his batsuit. He closed his eyes and calmed his stormy mind. Now that they are alone, Batman allowed himself the pleasure to act human and enjoyed the emotional rush of the moment he shared with the Amazon Princess. He opened his heart a little bit and soaked up the strength and tenderness of her presence. Just this one time and keep it brief, he reminded himself. However, the brief moment lasted longer than he allowed.

Diana gazed into his eyes and smiled at the detective who wore serene look on his face. When Bruce opened his eyes, he noticed Diana pulling in close to kiss him. He gently pulled away from her and held her at an arm's length. She looked hurt but did her best not to show it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." Wonder Woman apologized.

"You don't have to apologize."

For a while, they just stood there and looked away from each other. The sounds of the night were audible and there were chirping crickets and the forest was filled fireflies dancing around in the air like little ballets of tiny stars.

"You should get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Batman suggested as he made a makeshift sleeping bag. Diana felt it wasn't the right time to press the issue of their vague relationship. The princess simply lacked the energy. She only nodded in agreement and slipped into the sleeping bag. Diana closed her eyes and a veil of exhaustion covered her tired body. She fell asleep.

As the beautiful Amazon slept, Bruce watched over her like a sentry. He looked away from her and kept his attention out towards the wild. The Dark Knight kept his watchful vigil.

The next morning, Diana opened her eyes as she felt the heat of the morning sun. She woke up groggily and stretched. She looked over and saw that Bruce was not in his batsuit but wearing a Buddhist monk's outfit with a red sash covered with a brick-design. He was facing away from her and he had placed a mirror on a nearby tree. He grabbed a razor and proceeded to shave the hair off his head. As the black hair began to fall off his head, Diana watched with uncertainty as Bruce's appearance changed. She was aware of his mastery in the arts of stealth and thought on how it greatly contrasted with her Amazon upbringing in direct warfare. They were both out of their element and had to rely on each other if they were going to live through this ordeal. At the moment, Batman's approach seems to carry more weight and now would be the best time to learn from him. As Diana watched Bruce transform his appearance, she saw that he brought out a theatre makeup kit.

"Diana, please put on those garments I set aside for you next to the sleeping bag." Bruce directed as he changed his appearance from a Caucasian to a Mongoloid.

"Alright but before I do, let me perform my morning ritual." The princess said as she walked a short distance away from the doused campfire. Bruce watched her as she untied her golden lasso and kneeled on to the ground. She wrapped the lasso around her body and started to pray silently to herself.

Bruce watched curiously as he finished off his disguise. He saw the lasso around Diana began to glow brightly around her. He could almost hear a simmering sound echoing from the magic tether. When the warrior finished, she untied the lasso from her body and caught Bruce staring. She smiled tenderly at her observer.

"You've never seen me do that, have you?"

Bruce shook his head negatively. "Why with the lasso?"

"I use the lasso to help affirm that I will always stay truthful and honest from within myself and outward. I do that to stay pure as possible, free of lies and deceit."

"What if you were caught with a lie?"

"Then I get hurt. Really hurt. In truth, every time I do the ritual, there is always a certain amount of risk involved."

"Fascinating." Batman commented. "Have you ever been caught?"

She gave him an awkward smirk. Without a word, she lifted her uniform from her waistline and showed the detective a thin scar snaking along her belly and up her lower back. Bruce crept closer to examine her scar.

"The scar runs deep." Bruce stated as he ran a finger along the mark.

"If caught in a lie, the lasso will try to purify me it'll leave a scar as a reminder to maintain my purity." Diana explained as she pulled her uniform back in place. "I don't plan to repeat that experience again."

"I would imagine so." Bruce replied. "Here, wear these over your uniform."

The hero handed Wonder Woman her disguise. Diana took the garments and a few moments later the disguise was on her. The clothes were baggy and blue. The disguise also included an oversized round umbrella-shaped hat made of yellow straw. The bald Bruce Wayne walked up to her and inspected the costume. He brought out his make up kit and started to work on Diana's eyes. When the knight was finished, he handed Diana his mirror for her to gauge his handy work.

"Wow. This looks convincing." She complimented as she looked at her reflection. She was amazed at how her Greek features complimented Bruce's Asian make up. She smiled; this experience felt new and exciting.

"If we follow the road a few miles down I believe there's a small settlement west of here. Let's be as subtle as possible."

Diana nodded in agreement. Bruce placed his costume in a cloth sack and picked up a Bo staff he recently found. Diana straightened her costume and put on a large hat. The front curve of the accessory obstructed a clear view to her face. They were both ready to venture.

**Yuang-te City**

After hours of traversing the countryside, the duo arrived at a city surrounded by an outer wall. Bruce was the escort with Diana riding the whole journey. Before they started out, they debated with each other on who should ride the horse. He replayed the exchange in his mind.

"Why should I ride the horse?" Diana inquired. "Why don't you ride it?"

"Because I'm dressed as a monk."

"And what are you going to do? Walk the whole way?"

"Yes." Bruce stated.

"What if it takes hours to get their?"

"Whatever's necessary."

"This isn't some kind of macho thing, is it?"

"No. I assure you it's far from it."

"I don't feel comfortable doing that." Diana admitted. "It feels weird and almost sexist. I'm not weak kneed or afraid to walk."

"Well it isn't about any of that. A monk in this time and age strives for true altruism and selflessness." Bruce argued firmly and coolly. "If they saw me, a monk, riding a horse and his lady companion walking, then the people of this time will take notice of this. Then they'll start talking and whispering amongst themselves. Needless to say, I don't want any attention drawn to us."

"Oh fine." Diana agreed grudgingly. "Since you put it that way, I'll go ahead and get on. I don't think the horse would want you anyway."

"Thank you." Bruce thanked gruffly but with a hint of relief.

"Remember, if it's a long walk, don't you ever forget that I offered and you refused."

That was hours ago. In a weird way, Bruce couldn't help notice how they argued over something so trivial. He turned around to check on Wonder Woman. She was admiring the countryside and enjoying the company of the steed. When the princess looked over and caught him staring at her, she winked at him. Bruce felt somewhat embarrassed and immediately looked forward. Focus, he chided himself.

They finally reached their destination. As they passed through the massive red wooden doors, Bruce saw that the name of the city was posted above the main gates of the wall.

"Yuang-te City." Bruce read aloud as they passed the doors and reaching the main street of the vibrant lively Chinese settlement. To live up to the image of a Buddhist monk, Bruce held his right hand up in front of him and his palm vertical towards the ground as they walked down the street.

Diana noticed the bald Bruce Wayne getting into his role. From her view, the back of her partner's head was as pale as can be maybe due to the fact that it was always covered by his cowl. Batman resembled Curly from the Three Stooges, Diana giggled silently to herself. She looked around and noticed that the street they were on was bustling with activity. There were people window shopping at meat stands, kids playing ball across the street. In one corner there was an acrobat performance, on another corner there was folk music being played on a Chinese violin. The town looked happy. Suddenly, there was a gathering of people around Bruce. The crowd wore looks of curiosity and awe. Their disguises were good but because of the different diet and nutrition of the period, the heroes were surrounded by short people. The locals crowded around Diana and Bruce. One of the townsmen approached Bruce; he was an older gentleman with a bald head and squinty eyes.

"Hey, you guys are awfully big; you're not from around here are you?" The old Chinese man spoke.

Bruce bowed his head greetingly. "Amida Buddha," Bruce blessed the man. "No, good local man, we're from the far north. We've come along way from home and we're just stopping by."

"Oh really?" The man replied. "I guess that explains your pale skin." Then kids started to gather around Bruce. When they were next to him, they started to tug at his garments and they were trying to touch his face. "Wow! He's so pale. I've never seen skin so white!"

Bruce distinctly heard a snicker coming from Diana's direction. He glanced over to her and saw that the Princess's eyes were concealed by her hat but her smile was still visible. She was obviously enjoying the sight of the Dark Knight held hostage by little children.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell chiming from one of the wall's towers caused the people of the city to panic. They stopped their normal activities and fled into their houses with urgency. A moment later, the once vibrant city was now a scared silent town. Bruce and Diana looked at each other and nodded in agreement to go check out the reasoning for the alarms to ring. They both turned around and hurried towards the wall.

As they headed towards the city defenses, the duo noticed that soldiers were lining up along the perimeter of the wall. Bruce counted the number of defenders and frowned. There were only 20 defenders, most of them old men. He saw the garrison leader pacing along the wall nervously. The knight approached him.

"Is this all you have for defense?"

The garrison commander nodded grimly.

"What happened to the rest of your soldiers?" Diana asked.

"We sent them out to stop the invaders a few days ago. They were annihilated. This is all that we have against the coming storm."

Then, over the horizon, they saw dust being kicked up in the distance. As the riders came into view, Bruce immediately recognized their would-be invaders. The situation was turning grim. Diana noticed her partner's look.

"Do you recognize them?" The princess asked.

Bruce nodded with a frown. "Mongols."

Diana's was startled. "I've heard of them during my studies back home on Paradise Island. They held an empire so large that Alexander the Great himself would envy. They are also known for their ruthless reputation. They killed anybody who resisted, men, women, and children."

**Outside the City Walls**

Just outside the city walls, a cavalry of horseback riders appeared from the Horizon. The column was a scouting party made of 150 riders. At the head of the posse were two leaders. One was a woman dressed in white garments; she wore a white mask with a finely drawn red lip line and two dark slits for eyes. Her face was completely hidden. She carried a regal attitude as she rode. The other leader was a young male dressed in heavy hides and wore a round domed hat made of the same materials. As the group galloped over the hill, they saw in clear view of the walled city. The city doors had shut closed in clear defiance.

"This town refuses to give up willingly." The lady in white said with a slightly muffled voice. "I want you to make an example out of it. You will raze it to the ground and leave no survivors."

"Yes, Savage Lotus."

"Remember, the Great Khan is testing your abilities as a captain. Take this opportunity to show him what you are made of. If you succeed, you will have five cavalries under your control."

The young captain smiled and eagerly nodded.

"I will stay back here and observe your actions. I will see everything that will happen during this battle. From the looks of it, this should go by easily. You may commence your attack, Captain."

"Hyaah!" The young captain screamed out as he galloped off. As he rode off, the 150 horsemen followed suit and made their way towards besieging the town.

**On the Walls**

"Great Hera." Diana said with unease. "Bruce, they're making their attack. What are we going to do?"

Bruce was silent. He was deep in thought. Should we help or shouldn't we? If we attack, we risk altering the timeline. If we don't help, innocent lives will be lost. If we help, we'll attract attention to ourselves. If we just stand by, there will be blood on our hands. Countless innocents will die on our account.

"Bruce?" Diana asked again. "What should we do?"

The knight was still. The city garrison readied their bows and arrows and aimed at the approaching aggressors.

"They're closing in! I know we shouldn't but do we just stand by and let it happen? These people have no chance in surviving!"

"Fire!" The garrison captain ordered. A volley of arrows flew into the air and arched towards the horsemen. Only two of the arrows managed to hit their targets. This was a pitiful situation.

"No." Bruce answered quickly. "Damn the timeline. We help. You take out the brunt of the attack. If any of them manages to get by you, I'll make sure that they don't reach the walls."

"Right." Diana complied immediately. That was all she needed to know. She did a quick check of her vembraces, lasso, and straightened her disguise.

"Diana?"

"Yes, Bruce?" She answered as she readied herself for battle.

"Stop them at all costs. Don't mind your disguise."

She smiled almost fiendishly at this request. "Understood."

An instant later, Diana was in warrior mode. She shot through the air like a missile and headed straight towards the Mongol cavalry. Bruce saw the stunned look on the garrison soldiers faces after Diana took off in flight. He smirked and grabbed a rope from under his monk's garments. He took his Bo staff, a sword, and several bolos with him. The knight rappelled down the wall and stood ready in front of the city gates.

**The Battlefield **

"What the hell is that!" One of the men yelled out as they saw a figure headed straight towards them. Like a cannon ball, Diana plowed through the line of horsemen knocking the riders off their steeds. The captain was stunned to see a woman flying around like a hawk.

"Keep moving!" The captain ordered.

Diana took out ten men; only 138 left to go. As she came around for another diving run, the Princess saw several of the horsemen aiming their arrows at her. They released a torrent of arrows at her but they were easily the deflected by her silver bangles. The disguise she wore felt hampering to her movements. She immediately stripped out of her garments and revealed her Amazon uniform underneath. The heroine then swooped down on her galloping prey, knocking another ten off their horses.

From a distance Bruce saw the horsemen move about in a bewildering fashion. He readied himself as the first of the Mongols avoided Diana's attacks. He picked a long Bo staff and the first horseman arrived. The Mongol galloped at Bruce but was immediately jousted off his horse as the Knight hit a well placed strike at the rider. A second horseman followed immediately behind and Bruce swung around to avoid the horseman's spear attack. When the Mongol passed, the detective struck the rider's back knocking him out. Above his bald head, the city's garrison fired off another volley of arrows at the invading force, this time with more success. Ten of the arrows struck the riders on their approach to storm the city.

Meanwhile, Diana brought out her golden lasso and immediately tethered a galloping rider. She lifted the man off his horse. She flew over the body of the advancing cavalry and started to swing her victim against the other riders knocking them off their horses. Then she heard an explosion coming from a distance. The Princess glanced over to the source of the sound and noticed an object or person rocketing away in some kind of primitive flying device. The airborne object was shaped like a bird and the material was made of wood and cloth. Diana distinctly saw a lady in white in its undercarriage. The machine was gone. At the moment, the warrior had no time to investigate the strange occurrence; she had to keep the invaders away from the city.

As Bruce fought off the aggressors, the detective also took note of the strange occurrence. The moment he saw the bird-like machine rocketing off, he could only feel a sense of foreboding. He swung two bolos at two approaching riders and both fell to the ground. The dark knight surveyed the battle scene and saw that Diana was rounding up riders, keeping them from approaching the city. The number of attacking Mongols had decreased significantly. What was once a strong 150 showing had dwindled down to one third of their strength. The Mongols weren't cowards but they're not idiots either they will keep on fighting, Bruce thought. He had to think of a way to end the battle now. As the detective surveyed the battlefield, he found his answer. He had to take out the cavalry captain.

Conveniently, the Captain was already headed towards Bruce's location. The man looked furious. Bruce smiled. Can't say he blamed him, none his men ever reached the city. The mad Mongol brought out his sword and Bruce braced himself. The rider jumped off his horse and pounced onto the faux monk. They tumbled along the front of the city's wall. The man was on top of Bruce but he was immediately kicked off by both of Bruce's legs. The Mongol quickly got to his feet and Bruce drew out his sword. The two locked blades with each other and stared each other down. The knight could smell the rancor breath of his attacker. Bruce punched the captain in the face.

The Mongol fell back a little and before he could recover. He felt himself being entangled by the dark knight's bolos. Quickly, he saw the faux monk ran up and hit him square on the jaw with his Bo staff. The captain was knocked unconscious. Bruce stood over him with one leg planted on his captive's body. The detective stood triumphant and visible to the Mongol horde. He saw the look of the riders' faces and smiled.

As Diana threw off another rider, she immediately saw the change in the attackers' behavior. They were suddenly disorganized and fearful. The Mongols were on the retreat. She looked over to Bruce's direction and saw him standing triumphantly over their leader. She smiled and knew that victory was theirs.

When Diana returned to Bruce's side at the entrance of the city, a crowd of people came out excitedly and cheerfully. Before she could say anything to her partner, the crowd took them by surprise. The happy Chinese hoisted both Bruce and Diana on their shoulders and proceeded to parade them around the entire town. They were being showered with kisses, gifts, flowers, and thanks from numerous citizens. For once since being stranded in China, Diana saw the joy on Bruce's face as they were being showered by gratitude. She could hear him react heartily as they rode the celebrating mob. He had a wonderful sounding laugh; she thought and then laughed along with him.

**The JLA Watchtower**

Meanwhile in the present, the Martian Manhunter was scouring the virtual database trying to pinpoint the location of his missing friends. The Flash was sitting in the next console terminal scurrying at lightning speed through the entire archive of human history. After only a few minutes of joining the Martian, the Flash reached a solid lead.

"J'onn, take a look at this." Flash requested. "I think I have something that will help."

"Show me what you've found." The green Martian said as he stood behind the superhero and peered over his shoulder.

"This seems to be an old legend about a miracle that happened at Yuang-Te City around the year 1227. The legend talks about a thwarted Mongol invasion by two individuals, a flying woman and a tall and pale monk."

"Interesting." J'onn commented. "Please continue."

"The flying woman had the strength of ten men, she had an indestructible yellow rope, and arrows could not penetrate her defenses." Flash read aloud. "The monk was described as having a fighting prowess of ten martial arts masters."

"That first description was definitely Diana. Is there anything else for Batman?"

"No, not directly, but I think the tall pale monk description might be Batman in disguise."

"Then we better get the time machine charged and ready to go. I'll start on the calculations and computations to pinpoint our target jump point. You let Superman know on our current progress."

"Right."

Citadel of the Great Khan

The throne room was lit by numerous candles and the floor was dressed with a red ornate rug. The great Genghis Khan sat there on his throne as he listened intently to every word coming out of Savage Lotus's battle reports. From the Captain's charge at the city walls right to the news of a flying woman. When the report was completed, the Mongol Leader sat their silently and lightly tugged at his slender beard.

"My lord, what should we do about this woman?"

The Khan simply smiled. "I want you to catch her."

"I beg your pardon?" Savage Lotus asked quizzically.

"I want you to get your sister and brother and capture her. This woman is just the type befitting a great ruler. She will be my wife."

"Great Khan, I would not step out of line to question your decisions but how do you suggest on bringing in this woman? She has the power of flight and the strength of many oxen. Even with the White Lotus' skill and expertise; to capture a being of skill and power would only invite suicide. Do you know something that we don't?"

The man laughed loudly. "Of course, I know! Silly woman! I have walked this earth numerous generations before recorded history! I know of her race and I know of her weakness!"

"Then I beg for the knowledge you have." Savage Lotus asked with formality and obedience. "Please indulge me, my lord. So I can bring you the prize your heart dearly yearns for."

"Listen to me well, my Savage Lotus. Based on your scrupulous description of her looks, garments, and fighting prowess; this woman is from a race of women from the lands of the far west. She is an Amazon."

"Amazon?" Lotus said quizzically.

The Mongol leader nodded. "Her upbringing is that of a warrior's; something that you should relate to very easily. Now listen to me well. You will need your brother. You see, the only way to defeat an Amazon is to have her hands bound by a man. If her hands are tied; all her strength and powers will weaken. You will need to utilize both you and your sister's swiftness to get past her defenses."

"Understood, my lord." The lady in white affirmed. "We will make the necessary plans immediately."

"Once you have her captured, bring her to me unspoiled."

"As you wish, Great Khan." The White Lotus assassin bowed and left the throne room.

Once the Savage Lotus was gone, Genghis Khan smiled with anticipation. During this time period, he was known to his followers as Genghis Khan. A name given to him because of the victories he gave to this nomadic people. However, unknown to them, he is an immortal and he had various names in the past. His real name was Vandar Adg. In the modern times he is simply known as Vandal Savage. For the first time in his life, his mind wasn't fixated on world domination. He was determined to meet this Amazon in person whether she wanted to or not.

The Road Back to Camp

Three days later, Bruce and Diana were heading back to their camp site. It was night time now in the countryside and stars were out at full force. In the far distance there was a coming rainstorm just off of the horizon. They were given a strong horse to ride on as a parting gift from the town. They both shared the same saddle; Diana had the reins with Bruce behind her with his arms gently wrapped around her waist. After the routing of the Mongol cavalry, the dark knight and the warrior princess stuck around the city to see if there were going to be any retaliation from the Mongol Empire. After three days of waiting, nothing manifested, so Bruce and Wonder Woman decided that it was time to return to the campsite and wait for rescue from the JLA.

Diana was silent during the trip. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Specifically, she was thinking about the man behind the bat and the bond that grew between them. In the past few days, she started to notice little changes in Bruce's demeanor towards her. It's either because they were dependant on each other or he was accepting the idea that he actually liked her. Or maybe a little bit of both. He was smiling a little more and he less aloof whenever he was around her. What was it about this mortal that she liked? Like the tales of the old age, Bruce reminded her of her favorite hero, Odysseus. They both shared common traits with each other, both are cunning, both are good fighters, and they are devoted to their ideals. However, there was one major difference between the two men, Odysseus had a woman that he loved while Bruce did not. At least, not yet, Diana wasn't worried. She knew she had more than enough time to pursue him and wear down his stoicism.

"Bruce?" Diana started.

"Yes, Diana?" The bald man replied.

"You were magnificent back there when we defended the city."

"Thanks." He said coolly.

"Bruce, when I'm around you I find myself growing closer to you. No matter how hard I tried to bury these feelings for you. I find that it hurts…a lot."

Bruce was silent but he listened intensely as they neared their camp.

"In a way, I'm glad you placed this wall between us, it makes me work that much harder around you. Did you know that? When we fight alongside together, you inspire me to fight harder and think faster. Your commitment to your ideals is titanic. But despite that, you do have your flaws; you're obsessive, rude, frigid, paranoid, downright ruthless."

"I'm not frigid," He said in an innocent way.

Diana laughed loudly. "Was that a joke you just cracked! It's nice to know that I have that effect on you."

Behind her, Bruce grinned. "I won't argue with that."

Having heard that last remark, Diana felt her heart lit up and she turned around to look at Bruce. He looked stoic to her, not a smile nor any reaction at all. She turned around somewhat disappointed. Unbeknownst to her, he smiled again, this time more brightly.

As they closed in on their destination, Bruce hopped off the horse. "I'm going to check the area for followers from the city. I don't want anybody knowing our location."

"Always the paranoid," Diana teased.

Bruce ignored her remark. "Why don't you head back to camp and get the fire started. I'll be there shortly".

"Okay, I can show off my domestic side".

Bruce did not say much to her jovial attitude; he simply gave her a small smile and ran off into the night. As he disappeared, Diana sighed lightly as she rode towards the camp. How long is the tension going to last between them, she asked herself. What will it take to get to him? As she arrived at the camp site, she got off the horse and started to unpack the belongings given to them from the town folk. There were herbs and medicines, food, clothing, and small pieces of jewelry. She smiled at these tokens of appreciation.

Suddenly, she felt a presence, when she turned around to look. The only thing she saw were three figures dressed in white. A lady with a white mask on, a young woman in her twenties dressed in a white Chinese dress, and a mustached bald man who was dressed in a monk's white robes. Without saying a word or doing much movement, the two girls pounced on Diana quicker and swifter than cats pouncing on their prey. Before the Amazon could throw the women off, they sprayed a white powder on her face. She inhaled the substance and she started to vertigo. Next moment, the princess was out cold. Thunder started to erupt loudly overhead. The women signaled for the monk. The bald man walked over to Diana's unconscious body and bounded her hands with thick iron-cast handcuffs.

Meanwhile, Bruce finished off his patrol when it started to drizzle. He looked over to the direction of the campsite and noticed that the campfire hasn't started yet. The detective felt uneasy, he knew that something was off. It shouldn't take Diana this long to start the fires. Without hesitation, he ran as fast as he could towards the camp grounds. The rain started to pour down heavily now, and the night was lit up by thunder and lightning. As his face was pelted by the precipitation, he was only fifty yards away from his destination. Suddenly, three explosions rocked the camp grounds; he saw three bird-shaped flying objects rocketing towards the sky. They were the identical design of the one he saw a few days ago during battle. He immediately noticed that one of them had an unconscious Wonder Woman in it's under carriage. Without much thought, Bruce reached under his garments and took out a homing device launcher from his utility belt. He quickly aimed the pistol at the flying wing that carried Diana and fired. With a silent bang, a bat shaped homing beacon flew and attached itself to the flying device without the notice of its pilot.

As the three flyers, disappeared over the horizon, Bruce was alone and disappointed. As the rain hit his warm body, he could almost see the steam come off of himself. He gritted his teeth. He thought to himself damningly. You should have expected this! He straightened himself quickly. Now was not the time for pity.

He looked around the camp site for any possible intruders. There was no one. They were only after Diana. Bruce quickly realized that he had the advantage. Ever since the battle, Diana was the most visible. The enemy doesn't realize that Bruce was just as important as she was. He felt encouraged in knowing that he had the element of surprise on his side. With renewed fervor, Bruce reached into his cloth sack and brought out his cape and cowl. It was time to bring back the mantle of the Bat.

There's no time to waste. Batman vowed to himself. For Diana, his needs were secondary. For her, he'd go the ends of the Earth to get her back; for her sake, for the world's, and for his.

Moments later, Batman stood there in the rain with grim determination. He brought out his beacon detector and saw that the assailants were headed due east. At the speed of their current velocity, he estimated that they were at least 6 hours ahead of him. He quickly jumped on the back of his horse and with a quick snap of the lead. The horse stood on its heels and sped off towards the horizon towards Diana.

To be continued in…

Episode 3: Relentless

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	3. Episode 3: Relentless

The Knight and the Warrior:

Episode 3: Relentless

By Long T. Tran

_Disclaimer_: All DC characters are owned by DC Comics. This fic is not intended to make any monetary value. This fic was created in pursuit of reader entertainment.

**The Steppes of Northern China **

The dark knight had ridden diligently all night. As the horse galloped under him, Batman could clearly see the sun began to rise over the horizon. He looked down at the homing device and he estimated that he was only a full day and a half away from his destination. He had no choice but to get to Diana as soon as possible. He knew that she wasn't helpless but the way she was apprehended bothered the dark knight to no end. They were up against somebody who knew of her weakness.

Throughout the night, Batman tried to wake her up through the new comm link he gave her a few nights ago. No response yet. It was time to try to wake her up. He held a finger to his ear and pressed.

"Diana!" The knight called out. "This is Batman! Please respond!"

No response yet, just static. The communicator worked in two ways, one via satellite and the other through direct unit-to-unit frequencies.

"Diana! Wake up!"

He waited again.

"This is Batman, please respond! Diana, tell me that you're okay."

H waited again. As the sun rose, the horse was getting tired and thirsty. Batman spotted a stream just ahead and steered the horse towards it. As the steed approached its watering hole, Bruce could hear a small stutter in the static of radio. Then he heard sounds of chains clanking from Diana's end of the transmission.

"Diana? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

(This…is Diana.) She said groggily. (I'm alright…)

"Are you hurt? Is everything alright with you?"

(I'm fine…my head hurts a lot though.)

"Where are you?" Bruce asked.

(I'm not sure. It's completely dark here. I can't see a thing.)

"Can you move?"

(No, I'm chained up pretty good. My hands are chained down on both sides of me and my neck has some kind of metal brace around it.)

"Can you break the chains?"

(Hold on, I'll try.)

Batman listened to Diana as she grunted. He could hear the sound of chains rustling through the comm link. While Bruce waited, the horse reached the stream and started to quench its thirst

"Status?"

(Achilles' heel.) Diana cursed. (These chains are as thick as my wrists and they are difficult to break. Every time I tried to break them, my head hurts a lot. Those assassins used some sort of sedative. It's making me feel sluggish and weak.)

This was not good, Bruce thought to himself. "I'll be there in 14 hours. In the meantime, let's do our best to maintain a constant line of communication. Alright?"

(Alright.)

"I hope your strength returns before I get there."

(Me too.)

"You need to rest and gather your strength."

For a silent minute, Diana did not respond. Bruce could sense unease emanating from Diana's end of the link.

"Diana, what's on your mind?"

(No. I don't feel alright. I don't like being helpless.)

"I understand how you feel."

(Do you? This is not the way an Amazon should be. We fight to win. We don't like to lose and we especially detest the thought of being held captive.)

"Diana, please be steadfast, help is on the way."

(Easy for you to say, Bruce. I don't like being a damsel in distress. Ugh, my pride has taken a beating. This is beyond embarrassing.)

Bruce could hear her struggle again with the chains that bound her. Then she moaned in a hurtful way.

(Damnit! My head hurts every time I try to exert myself. What did they dope me with?)

"Do you see any windows or sources of light?"

(No. I'm in complete darkness. I think I'm in a basement of some sort.)

Batman could sense the frustration from Diana's end of the link. While Wonder Woman was physically unable to set herself free, he was reminded of his situation with the child killer Connor O'Hanlan. The killer escaped from justice and put the dark knight in a dark grip. He couldn't help but notice the irony in this situation. The Amazon was held captive physically while he was trapped by his mental anguish. That never ending sense of turmoil nearly consumed him. If it weren't for Wonder Woman, he didn't know how he would bring himself out of that zone. He reminisced her last remark in the bat cave that helped brought him back from the grip of darkness.

"Diana, sometimes you can't make it on your own," He said in the most calm and soothing tone. "It takes a certain Batman to get you free."

Diana didn't respond at first. As Bruce waited, he could almost hear her snicker.

(Thank you Bruce for the encouraging words; I'm glad I'm not completely alone in here. Your communicators are a god send.)

Suddenly, Bruce could hear a heavy door open on Diana's side of the comm. Then a deep voice rang out.

(_Well, well, well. Do my eyes deceive me? What is an Amazon princess doing all the way over here in China?) _

Diana was silent and so was Bruce. He listened to the man's voice it sounded familiar to him.

(_Allow me to introduce myself, warrior. I am known here as Genghis Khan but my real name is Vandar Adg. Or to westerners, you may know of me as Vandal Savage.)_

Bruce narrowed his eyes.The dark knight detested dictators and self-proclaimed demigods, especially the ones that were immortal and insane. Savage was capable of anything insidious.

(Why are you holding me captive, Vandal?) Diana asked sternly.

_(My dear, first thing's first. I want to know your name.) _

(My name is for me to know.)

_(You have a lot of sass in you woman. It doesn't really matter to me. You are an Amazon and I will have you all to myself.) _

(What are you going to do? Rape me? I'll kill you before I give you a chance.)

_(Not at all, rape is below me. I can do much better than rape. What I will do to you is more methodical; more visceral and hopefully more effective. I am going to break you down mentally and physically. And you will find out soon enough on how. When I'm through with you; you will be totally submissive to me.)_

Bruce could hear the man's footsteps coming closer to Diana. Then he heard Vandal blew something at Diana. Diana coughed.

(What do you want from me? Information? Secrets?)

_(You'll find out soon enough. This is going to be fun. I have never broken down an Amazon before. HA HA HA HA HA!) _After his cackling, Bruce heard the heavy door shut which signaled Vandal's departure. The he heard the rustling of chains; this time more sluggish than ever.

"Diana! What did he do to you?"

(A black powder of some sort. I feel dizzy.)

The horse was finally rejuvenated, Batman urgently kicked the sides of the steed and the animal was in full gallop again.

"Diana, you have to listen to me! Whatever you do, don't give in to him!"

(Don't…worry.) Diana said with a slurred speech. (I am strong…I will always stay strong….)

"He's going to torture you. When he does, just focus on my voice. It's very important that you do your best. Don't give him any information. Don't let him know I'm coming.)

(I'll only…listen…to you.) She said slowly in a trance-like tone. (Listen to…Bruce. Only…to Bruce. My…Bruce)

Then without another sound, Bruce could tell that she had fallen asleep. With even more determination and fervor, Batman was on his way to aid Diana. He had to get his team mate back. He brought out the homing device and saw that Diana's location was a full two days away; two very long days away. He hoped that he could make it to her on time before things started to turn for the worse. On the other hand, he had to brace for the worse and he had to stay strong. If Diana begins to falter, it was his job to keep her from faltering.

**So it begins…**

The prison cell was dark and Diana was still unconscious. The Amazon was asleep. She was in a kneeling position because of the chains that held her from lying down. The heavy door opened and Vandal walked in and illuminated the cell with some candles. He had a bucket of water in his left hand. He lifted the bucket and threw the water on to the Amazon. The liquid was scorching hot and Diana screamed.

"You! You'll pay for that!"

"Insolence!" Vandal replied as he slapped the Amazon hard across the face. "You will submit to me!"

"Never!"

Vandal kicked Wonder Woman below the ribs.

"What is your name!"

Diana breathed hard and glared into Vandal's eyes. She spat at his feet. He reached into his hide coat and put on two metal gauntlets on his hands. They looked heavy, forbidding, and the armored fingers looked sharp. Vandal back handed her face hard.

"What is your name?"

Vandal met silence. He slapped her again harder.

"I'll ask you again. What is your name?"

Diana only glared at him as blood trickled down her swollen hot cheeks. "My name is for my friends."

(Good girl.) Bruce said painfully to her over the comm.

Diana could sense the anguish from Bruce. She steeled herself mentally.

Vandal gave a furious scowl and pounded Wonder Woman mercilessly. His strength was enormous. The gauntlets hitting her body sounded tremendous. There was no doubt that Bruce could hear every relentless impact.

(Stay strong, Diana.) Said Bruce's voice which gave her the support she needed.

Vandal punched Diana in the stomach.

(Don't give in.)

Another blow struck her lower jaw.

(Don't let him get to you.)

"Is this the only way, Savage?" Diana taunted with blood coming down her face. "Are you so brave as to have me tied up like some animal and beaten like a dog?"

(Diana, don't encourage him. Keep quiet or he'll never stop.)

The madman did not retort, he kept on delivering blow after blow.

"Have…you…no sense…of honor." Diana chided laced with fatigue.

(Diana!) Bruce yelled with protest.

_I'm sorry Bruce; if I can't fight him physically I'll get him verbally and mentally._ Diana thought to herself. She glared at Savage through her blood soaked vision.

With a thunderous punch to her head, Vandal shattered his right gauntlet and managed to knock Diana's tiara off her head. The crown fell to the ground.

After a long period of torture, Savage finally grew tired. "I have to hand it to your Amazon upbringing, you are definitely resilient. I have more in store for you, my dear captive."

Diana felt pain and bruised through out her body. She sensed a lump coming up from her abdomen. She started to cough violently and spat out the bitter salty taste of blood. Vandal only smiled.

"Do you know why I have so much interest in you?"

The Amazon kept silent. The man was a sadistic monster in her eyes and he didn't deserve any dignity of a response.

"I have walked this earth for over 20 millennia and strived to control the world as I see fit. I decided long ago that I wanted to be in the game…to shape mankind's future. With this empire, I have achieved that. However, being an immortal does have its disadvantages. I have no companion to share my fortunes and burdens. Life is meaningless without the eternal love of a woman. Many women I shared my life with and many loves lost. I desire only one woman to share my life with and you are that person. The eternal soul of an Amazon can only soothe the heart of this beast."

For a long time, the Amazon was silent. Diana looked at her enemy and laughed at him. "You expect me to believe that load of garbage? Awww. Vandal Savage feeling lonely?" She mocked. "The great Vandal captured a woman and tortured her to make her fall for him? Are you kidding me? Are you living in reality? You're a mongrel, nothing more, and even less. You make me sick. Your idea of love is as twisted as you are."

Vandal sighed in an exasperated manner. "Your rudeness knows no bounds. I never said my desires were ever easy to achieve. I get what I want and I'll do it with any means necessary."

With that remark, he snapped his fingers and two guardsmen walked in. The pair was large in stature and muscular. They walked over to Diana's right side and each grabbed a large chain connected to the right side of her neck brace. They pulled on her and she struggled to keep herself from leaning over. Normally, she could've been able to tug these men aside easily but due to the combination of the beating and the toxins that were given to her, she was too weak to resist. The two guardsmen tugged on the chains and she leaned over, exposing her right side. A sharp pain surged through the left-side of her body.

She could see through the corner of her eyes that Vandal was bringing out a small glass bottle that contained a purple and black fluid.

"Do you know what this is?"

Diana shook her head no.

"In this vial is the venom of a long extinct creature which used to roam the deserts of the Eurasian regions. This is Basilisk venom; a very rare poison. I don't know if there's anti-venom for it. I do know that it is very effective."

Vandal walked over to Diana and poured the black venom down her side. The fluid cascaded her body as if it was alive and seeped into her wounds. Diana immediately felt the effects of the venom. She felt her body tense. The Amazon's eyes turned pitch black. She started to hear voices in her head, dark whispering shrilly voices. The world around her became wrapped in fog and shadow.

"I'll bestow onto her one act of mercy. Release her neck brace."

The two guards that held Diana in place walked over to release her chained neck brace. The Amazon immediately keeled over onto her side and went into a fetal position. She felt her body gripped in pain. The voices in her head were telling her to submit, telling her to give up. Surrender or die, the voices told her.

"In case you're wondering, the venom inside you has some mystical qualities. Unlike most poisons which only attack your physical body, this special batch will deplete what physical strength you have left and it will attack your mind."

Diana was on her side. She looked up at Vandal with her black eyes and growled at him.

"You ogre."

"Insult me while you can; enjoy your petty self-determination. I'll be coming back this evening and then we'll be finished. By the end of the evening, I will walk out of this cell with or without you."

**Knight's Side **

Batman heard the sound of the dungeon door closed shut. He started to hear shallow breathing coming from Diana. The whole ordeal was hard for the dark knight. He had never witnessed Diana take in so much punishment. Vandal had earned himself the top spot on his hit list. Bruce hated torture. It was unforgivable when committed onto one of his closest friends. After witnessed Diana's torture it made his blood boil. This was a horrible experience to share; this was too personal, too compromising. The hero felt the relentless maelstrom of rage and turmoil within him.

"Diana, talk to me. What's going on?"

(Bruce…, the venom's doing something to me… I hear voices…)

"Diana, just focus on my voice.

(They're telling me lies, they're telling me to submit.)

"Do you know what my voice sounds like?"

(…yes.)

"Try to block out all other voices but mine."

(I feel…horrible…cold…) Diana said.

Bruce could hear Diana cough violently. The rustling of her chains was an indication of her convulsions. Then he heard her cry out and she started vomiting. It was painful for him to witness her suffering. The only thing he could do was stay on his course and hope to keep her from going over the brink.

"Diana, listen to my voice. I vow to get us out of this mess. We'll survive together. Whatever happens, do your best to resist. Stay adamant."

Bruce could hear her coughing. Her voice went raspy.

(Bruce…) she called out.

"Yes, Diana?"

(There's chaos…within me. Voices of insanity and lies…could you please…)

"Yes, yes?"

(Please…be my symbol…of order.)

"For you, I'll do anything."

For the next eight hours, Batman rode the horse as he made his way across the steppes of China. Each passing moment he comes closer to his destination. The coverage of time and distance was not easy for Batman due to the fact that he was in constant surveillance over Wonder Woman. He could hear every pained vomiting, every whimper, and every aching cry from his captured friend. Her agony only fueled his commitment even more. Whenever she started slipping, he would reach out to her with his voice and bring her back from the brink of submission. There were episodes where she started to hallucinate; he would employ methods of psycho hypnosis to calm her chaotic mind.

Night time had fallen and the horse was tired; it walked at a brisk pace across the plain. All day, Bruce listened to the constant changing conditions of Diana's captivity. To keep from losing her, he couldn't afford to be aloof with her. In her hour of need, he couldn't be Batman; he had to be Bruce Wayne. Wonder Woman was still inoculated with the Basilisk venom. Bruce checked his progress on the homing indicator. According to the device, he was only about 2 hours away.

(Bruce…) Diana called out with a raspy voice.

"Yes, Diana?" Bruce replied.

(Vandal will…come back any minute now. I wanted to let you know…just in case…that if I didn't make it…)

"Don't talk like that. Don't you give up on me."

(…just in case I don't make it.)

Diana coughed violently. It was heart wrenching for Bruce to hear her suffer.

(Bruce…I wanted to tell you…that there are so many lies within me because of this venom…just a lot of deceit. Thank you for…being the lighthouse. You are special…to me.)

"I will continue to guide you, Diana. It's not over yet."

Then, through the sound of his communicator, he heard the sound of the prison doors opened. He heard footsteps. Bruce mentally braced himself. What form of torture is Vandal bringing in now?

**The Warrior's Side **

"Let's see if the venom was successful." Vandal stated as he looked at the Amazon. The captor was clearly admiring his handy work. Diana was in the corner of her cell, she was on her side. She noticed Vandal as he approached. He stood before his captive. "Now then, Amazon, come before me."

His captive sluggishly crawled over to him. She stopped at his feet. She was on all fours and her face down cast.

"Now, who do you belong to?"

"I…belong…"

"Yes?" Vandal asked with anticipation.

"I belong to…my love."

"And who is your love?"

The Amazon was silent for a moment. She looked up at her tormentor and smiled. "Not you." Then she spat at his face and a wet spit wad dripped from his nose.

Vandal was infuriated, he kicked Diana's mid-section and she fell back against the cell wall.

"I see that the venom had no effect on you. I don't know how you managed to resist the venom's influence but it doesn't matter to me anymore. I've wasted enough time pursuing this diversion. If I can't have you, no one will."

He reached into his silk robe and brought out Diana's golden lasso. "I've done some research on your lasso. Apparently, this is the rope of Hephaestus. Legend has it that this artifact has the power to draw out the truth whenever someone is held captive. Another interesting thing about this lasso is that if a person is lying they will feel unimaginable pain. So that begs me to wonder…since your body is full of basilisk venom, what will happen if I placed this golden rope around you? Will it purge your body of the poison or will it kill you? I've looked into it and I assure you that it will be a long excruciating death."

With that remark, Vandal walked towards Diana. As he crept in closer, the golden lasso began to glow. Diana felt uneasy as the tormenter approached her. The Amazon was not afraid of pain but the thought of being purged by the lasso was enough to make her apprehensive. She was once burned by the lasso for only for a white lie. This time her body was full of basilisk venom, potent of treachery. Diana remembered the pain felt like a super-heated iron tip searing her skin. The moment before Savage tied the rope around her, she felt her eyes started to well up. A salty tear drop slowly went down her cheek. If this was going to be her last moment, she wanted say the name of the person she loved one last time. The knight who helped keep her dignity intact.

"Bruce…" She whispered enough to pass Vandal's notice but loud enough for her team mate to hear.

**The Dark Knight's Pain**

(I love you…) Diana whispered in a farewell manner. Bruce could hear the crackling sound of her golden lasso. He knew the rope made contact with Diana, the searing was unnerving. At first, he could hear her resist the urge to scream. The pain was too great and she screamed.

"Diana!" Bruce yelled out with sorrow. He kicked the horse he rode very hard to pick up its pace.

As he raced across the plains, Diana's screaming was almost too much for him to bear. Batman gritted his teeth and his whole body was tense as he listened to the Amazon's bloodcurdling shrieks. He could hear the smoldering sound of the lasso as it purged Diana's body of the venom. In Bruce's mind, the image of the once beautiful and proud princess was now replaced by a badly beaten and suffering soul. He couldn't help it any longer, he felt hot tears erupting from his eyes and leaking past his cowl. Every time he tried to stop the tears, he would hear Diana's painful screams. Each one of her screams brought out another tear from the dark knight. He had to reach out to her and give her hope.

"Diana, I'm sorry you're hurting." Bruce consoled with struggle in his voice. "Please be strong. I know it's too much to bear. I'll be there for you. I'll be there soon."

Her screams kept continuing but they started to subside. She was listening to his voice.

"Don't lose hope. I know you'll make it." Bruce said.

(Bruce…ah!) Diana struggled. (Ugh…don't stop talking….don't stop…)

Bruce couldn't help it. His emotions ran high at the thought of losing Diana. He tried to find the words to keep her coherent. But he could only realize a few; the few words of encouragement that meant something to him and Diana.

"Diana, I love you. Please stay with me. Stay strong."

For the next hour, Diana continued to suffer and Bruce continued to console her through the comm link. He didn't allow restraint of words. He desperately fought to keep Diana from giving up. He hoped his show of emotion and strength was what the Amazon needed to stay alive. After an hour of screaming and yelling, Diana fell silent.

Bruce clenched his teeth and hoped for the best. Did she fall unconscious or was it worse? He did his best to listen for any signs of breathing. He couldn't tell. Then the dark knight saw the citadel rising above the horizon. Finally, he had reached his destination; Batman felt himself tighten with determination. He started to formulate his plan of attack. The odds will be stacked against him. Batman wanted a piece of Vandal and his goons. He did a quick inventory of all the devices and gadgets in his utility belt. It was nearly time, succeed or fail, there will be retribution.

**The Citadel **

The night was dark and all is quiet outside of the rampart. The guard patrolled along the wall of the stronghold. As he made his way across the wooden pathway, a shadow sneaked past him. The Batman was in the compound; he stepped off of the wooden walkway and hid behind the stair case. From his position, he could see that across from him there was a main gate. To his right was the citadel itself. He reached into his cape and took out the beacon tracker. The device indicated that Diana's position was definitely in the basement of the citadel.

Standing at the entrance of the main tower were two guards. Bruce reached into his utility belt and took out a batarang. The metallic device opened up in a snap. He threw the weapon at the guards and knocked them out. The two soldiers fell to the floor. The dark knight quickly went over and dragged the guards with him to cover his tracks. As Bruce entered the main hallway, he noticed that there was a stairway that led to the basement and a double stair case connected to the top floors. He dropped the guards behind a large jade jar to hide them and immediately proceeded down the staircase that led to the basement.

As Batman reached the base of the stairs, he saw that a narrow hallway led down to a single heavy metal door. In front of the door sat a bald monk dressed in white. The man was in deep meditation. In his lap lay a large wooden staff with a long blade at the end of it. Batman knew that just beyond the door the monk guarded Diana. As Bruce made his way down the hallway, he saw that the monk opened his eyes. The evil monk smiled and he stood up defiantly guarding the door. He planted the staff beside him with a loud clank. Then the monk in white held his right hand up and signaled the dark knight to a duel. As soon as Batman approached, the monk quickly brought up his staff and twirled the weapon in fancy martial movements.

_I have no time for showboating._ Batman thought to himself. The dark knight stood still and planted his feet in a battle stance position. The monk ran at the detective at full speed. As he approached the hero, he brought his staff about. Bruce smiled, this was what he wanted the attacker to do. Without hesitation, Batman focused his energy and punched through the monk's staff breaking the weapon in two.

The monk was surprised at the dark knight's strength and speed. Before he could think of a counter move, a gloved fist impacted his face. The monk felt his teeth knocked out of his mouth. Next, he was up against the dungeon door. Then, with full force, the man in the bat suit kicked the monk in the chest cracking his ribs. The strength of the kick was so great that the door collapsed with the monk.

Batman walked into the dungeon and saw that the monk was defeated and unconscious. The cell was illuminated by candles and the dungeon smelled thick of vomit and burnt flesh. Near one end of the room, he saw Diana on the floor wrapped in her own lasso, her back towards him, and she was motionless. Batman immediately ran over to her and untied the lasso. As Bruce unraveled the rope, he saw 2nd-degree burn marks all over Wonder Woman's body. Her body was covered in black ooze; no doubt that it was the purged basilisk venom. Bruce reached into his belt and took out a dart and filled the weapon with the poison. He placed the dart into his dart gun and saved it.

Bruce checked Diana for a pulse and felt a very faint throb. Batman felt a sigh of relief, she was still alive although barely. He held her into his arms and turned her body around to look at her face. What he saw made his heart wrench. Her once beautiful face was now covered in bruises, cuts, and swollen tissue. He was sad to see the results of her torture. Bruce hugged her tight. Her body felt limp as he held Diana closer to his chest. As he held his beloved comrade, he slightly rocked back and forth in a comforting manner. He looked down at her and saw that her eyes were barely open and they were completely bloodshot. She was aware. Bruce noticed Diana's tiara on the ground. He picked up the gold accessory and crowned his teammate. He ran his gloved hand along the contours of her face.

"I'm sorry it took me so long." Bruce apologized.

Without saying anything, Diana held Bruce's hand and weakly grasped it.

After a moment of quiet reunion, it was time to leave. Bruce picked the locks of the chains that held Diana in place and released her. The hero gathered her magic lasso and tied it onto his utility belt. He then picked up Diana and cradled her into his arms. As soon as she was held securely, Bruce made his way out of the dungeon and into the hallway. He walked past the entrance way of the citadel and headed out to the courtyard. By walking in plain view, he intentionally made his presence known to the whole fortress. Immediately, the gates closed in front of Bruce. He could hear the locking mechanism kick in. Batman smiled and welcomed the sound. He didn't see himself as being locked in, he saw that the people of the fortress were locked in. Bruce turned around and saw that Vandal Savage was present. The tyrant was standing at the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

"You! Man in the bat suit! Where do you think you're going with the Amazon?"

Batman didn't answer he just glared at the tyrant. This clearly irritated Vandal.

"What's with all the insolence lately?" Vandal asked with bewilderment. "GUARDS! KILL THEM BOTH!"

With that loud command, the barracks started emptying out soldiers. Along the walls of the fortress, the Mongol guards were taking their positions. Vandal turned around and confidently left the balcony and headed back inside the castle. Bruce looked down to Diana. She looked up at him sadly and with tears in her eyes. He felt her ask him silently if this was the end. As the garrison arrived, Bruce carried Diana over to the main gates and placed her against the structure. He straightened her hair and kneeled down to her fore head and kissed it.

"It's not over yet," Batman assured her. "There's still unfinished business".

Behind Batman, the courtyard and the walls of the fortress were now full of soldiers. As Bruce turned around to face his enemies, he felt a tug on his cape. He turned around and saw Diana's battered face wanting to tell him something.

"I love you." The Amazon said in a whisper.

Bruce looked at her face grimly and he did his best to keep his composure. "I love you too."

Diana watched as Batman placed a gas mask over her face. Then the knight turned and faced his enemies. There were so many and only a single man challenged them. She hated her current condition. The warrior wanted to join in battle. Life was not fair. The best she could do was support him through mind and spirit.

Batman was more than aware of his current situation. The way back towards the citadel was completely blocked by Mongol guards. Each of the men carried various types of melee weapons. He did a quick mental audit of all the tools at his disposal. He wanted to bring vengeance on all of these thugs. All of these men were responsible for Diana's current condition and they all have to answer to him. He also had plans for Vandal Savage as well. However, first things first, the dark knight had to get through the guards.

"I'll give you one chance and one chance only. Some of you were not aware of this woman's torture. So I'll allow those of you to leave. If you do not choose to leave, you can stay and see what happens."

The soldiers scoffed and laughed at the dark knight. _Good, they underestimated me. All the better for me. _Bruce thought and smiled thinly.

"ATTAAAAAACK!" A commander ordered. The guards ran towards Batman with weapons in hand. The dark avenger stood ready for the onslaught.

As the soldiers approached, Batman reached in to his belt and grabbed two chemical vials. Bruce took out a breathing mask and placed it over his face. He threw one vial in front of the mob and lobbed the other on the back end of the crowd. The bottles exploded and a yellow gas appeared and covered the court yard. The guards breathed in as they approached the dark knight. The effects of the gas were immediate. As soon as they reached Batman, they hesitated. Bruce opened up his cape like a bat extending its wings. The men were suddenly filled with fright and anxiety. Through their point of view, a giant demon had arisen out of nowhere. Their hallucinations exaggerated Batman's true appearance. They dropped their weapons and ran away from the dark knight. Bruce had used two vials of fear toxin, courtesy of the Scarecrow. However despite his preparedness, some men did not breathe in the gas cloud. As soon as they reached Batman, the hero masterfully avoided their attacks and started to dislocate the arm joints of each of his attackers. The men screamed in agonizing pain. More men arrived; the hero punched one man in the gut while kicking another in the face.

A guard tried to hit the knight with a wooden staff but it was broken by the bat's hand chops. As if possessed by an unknown force, Batman fueled his furious rage with images of Diana. To every assailant who came within 4 feet of the dark knight, they were guaranteed to have at least one variation of a broken bone or joint dislocation or separation. A wake of casualties started to form as Batman made his way across the courtyard.

The bat reached for more devices from his utility belt and brought out several metallic marbles and started throwing the globules at the oncoming assailants. Like a lightning storm surging through the mob, these new weapons were called tazer pellets. The guards were getting electrocuted as the objects hit their bodies. Along the walls, Batman noticed that the garrison of soldiers was readying their bows and arrows. Without any hesitation, Bruce tossed gas grenades at the walkways along the stone walls. The weapons released a green gas which made the men started to laugh uncontrollably. This was a non-lethal version of the Joker's laughing gas. Instead of killing his enemies of laughter, they would cackle until they were unconscious.

As Bruce approached the citadel, there was chaos all around him. Thanks to the combination of the fear toxin and joker's laughing gas, there were guards hallucinating; some thinking they were surrounded by monsters while others were living through their phobias. As a result, half of the court yard were fighting amongst themselves or scrambling to escape. This helped save the dark knight a lot trouble of getting to Vandal. Batman reached the entrance of the Citadel. He noticed that none of the men were chasing him; he turned around and saw that the bewildered guards had opened the main gates and they all filed out of the stronghold.

Diana was mostly unconscious throughout the whole courtyard's ordeal; the torturous experience with the lasso's purging of her body stole a lot of energy from the Amazon. Something within her told her to wake up and open her eyes. After much struggle and pain, she managed to catch sight of Bruce entering the Citadel alone. Had he gone mad? Was he going after Vandal? She felt her mind telling her to go find out. Her body felt numb and as soon as she began to move her muscles. She could feel her pain receptors firing off on all cylinders. The Amazon felt tremendous pain as she tried to get herself to stand up and follow Bruce. She made up her mind but her body was vehemently disagreeing. She summoned all of her willpower to gather what remaining energy she had left to force her body to move. Suddenly, the warrior felt something in her rip in her lower abdomen. The pain was so sharp that Diana collapsed and passed out.

**The Throne Room**

Batman finally reached the throne room. The carpet was red and the chamber had many Chinese tapestries. The throne was just ahead and perched on the royal chair was Vandal Savage himself. He did not look happy at all. On either side of him, stood his two body guards, both were females dressed in white. One of them wore a white mask while the other was younger looking; she looked to be in her early twenties.

"That was the most embarrassing display of guardsmen ship I have ever witnessed. I am surrounded by idiots." Vandal commented. "Whoever you are, you just made a big mistake coming up here to see me."

"It's time for you to answer to me. What you did to the Amazon was unforgivable." Batman announced dispassionately. "I'm taking you out."

"Come try your luck." Vandal dared to the intruder. "Savage Lotus, Tiger Lotus; kill him."

Batman clenched his fists. He walked towards Vandal and the two lady assassins that guarded him. Without hesitation, the two body guards leapt into the air and started their attack on the dark knight. Savage Lotus (the masked one) released a thin chain with a dagger attached to one end. The weapon speared across the air towards the hero. With swift movement, Bruce stepped aside and avoided the dagger. He caught the chain with his right hand and pulled on the links. This further increased Savage Lotus's momentum and as soon as she close, Batman punched her masked features. The clay mask shattered and revealed a disfigured face. The woman's face was covered in burn scars. Her appearance didn't matter much to the hero. She was knocked out of the fight.

He turned his attention to the younger attacker. Tiger Lotus was very attractive but her looks only hid the evil spirit within her. She was armed with triple wrist blades on each arm. She made swipes at the hero angrily. The blades kept missing the dark knight. He didn't want to waste time and energy on this killer. He whipped around and caused his black cape to slap her in the face. His cape detached and entangled Tiger Lotus. She was momentarily confused but before she could free herself, Batman pounded on her with his fists clenched together. Tiger lotus was put out of commission and Vandal Savage was next. The tyrant unbuttoned his robe and readied himself for battle.

"I have to say, I'm impressed of what you achieved today." Vandal admitted. "It's not everyday that I see a single man take out an entire garrison of guards; cut down my best bodyguards, and humiliate me in the process. You have a lot of potential. I'll give you one chance. Join me and we will rule this world together as brothers in arms."

"Shut up and fight."

The two rivals ran towards each other for battle. Bruce punched Vandal in the stomach but it doesn't seem to affect him. Savage smiled fiendishly; he back handed the dark knight and the strength of the impact was enormous. The hero felt his lip and it was bleeding. Vandal swung his fist at Batman. The leaguer ducked out of the way and kicked the tyrant's kneecaps as hard as he could. The kick gave no discernible injury.

"You are weak, boy." Vandal taunted as he kicked the dark knight clear across the room. The hero collided with Vandal's throne and knocked the chair over.

Bruce immediately knew that the battle was not going to well, he was fighting a meta-human and he had to find a way to even out the playing field. He took out a vial of acid and lobbed it at his enemy's face. The green substance was all over Vandal's face and the fluid started to eat away at his eyes. The man screamed. Batman immediately grabbed a metal scepter nearby and started to swing away at the screaming man. The beating of Vandal started to bring about results. The enemy was getting hurt. No time to waste.

The detective brought his basilisk venom dart and stuck the device into Vandal Savage's back. The venom was fully emptied and the sharp object fell off. The effects of the poison were immediate, Vandal immediately keeled over and he was on his knees and holding his stomach.

"Wh-what did you do to me?" Vandal asked painfully.

"How does it feel?" The dark knight asked. He kicked the tyrant in the stomach. "Does it feel good to be cut down?"

Vandal did not say anything. Bruce punched him in the face.

"Don't feel too big anymore, do you?"

Batman kicked Vandal in the butt.

"Are you enjoying the humiliation?"

Batman picked up a nearby vase and threw it at the tormented tyrant.

"How does it feel to be controlled?" Batman asked again. He saw that Vandal was starting to bleed.

"What year is this?" Batman demanded coldly.

"What?"

With his steel-toed boots, the dark Knight kicked the tyrant in the face. "WHAT YEAR IS THIS?" Vandal collapsed on his side and the Batman placed his boot on the madman's cheeks. The hero mashed his foot hard.

Vandal spat blood to clear his mouth. "It's the year 1227."

The dark avenger scanned the room and noticed a heavy wooden chest.

"As I recall, the history books state that the year 1227 is the year of Genghis Khan's mysterious disappearance. Who am I to argue?"

By now, the tyrant was starting to vomit and convulse under the influences of the venom. "What do you want from me?"

Without saying much, the Batman reached under his cape and unsnapped Wonder Woman's golden lasso. He held the lasso out in plain view of his captive tyrant and crept in closer. The golden lasso started to come alive with a crackling glow.

"Retribution." The dark knight answered with dark intentions.

"No! Don't please!" Vandal begged pitifully.

Without hesitation, the Dark Knight simply flung the lasso onto the conqueror. The lasso reacted with explosive results; Vandal screamed in pain and he violently shook his body like a slug hit with salt. For the next five minutes, Bruce gave the torturer a taste of his own medicine. As he watched his captive suffer, Batman thought about the way Diana had resisted the urge to scream and remembered how he shared her suffering.

"What you're going through was nothing compared to what you did to the Amazon." Batman said coldly.

Before the venom was able to purge from Vandal's body, the dark knight decided that it was time to end the reprisal. Bruce took away the lasso from the tyrant. As the dark knight tied the golden rope to his utility belt, he saw that Vandal savage had passed out. Then, the dark knight placed the unconscious man's hands behind his back and tied them together. Batman picked up his enemy over his shoulder and walked over to the heavy wooden chest. He opened the chest and dumped Vandal into the box. Bruce made sure that the man was still under the influence of the venom. The hero opened the tyrant's eyes and saw that they were completely black. Batman closed the box and locked it. To be extra cautionary, he tied the box down with some heavy rope and melted the locks shut with acid. For the next moment, the dark knight made sure that the chest with the dangerous content was well hidden. He concealed the container in the backroom of the throne room's armory among numerous other chests.

Bruce wiped the sweat from of his uncovered face. He wasted enough time with the former tyrant. His one man war against the world's largest empire was complete. It was time to return to Diana.

**Trinity Reunited**

The dark knight carried the unconscious warrior princess across the steppes of northern China. Diana was cradled in Bruce's arms and her condition seemed to have worsened since he carried her. Behind the heroes, the citadel was engulfed in flames which illuminated the night sky. Their battle with the Mongols was over and Vandal Savage's invincible image of Genghis Khan was destroyed.

As dawn approached over the horizon, the hue of daylight illuminated both the heroes. Batman looked down at Diana and saw how pale and fragile she looked. The Amazon was dying in his arms and for the first time in his life, he felt helpless. It had to take extreme measures to make Bruce realized how important she was to him. He cursed at himself for being a stoic fool. It was too late for him now. He was going to lose Diana. There was nothing he could do to revive her. He had no water, no medicine, and no horse. Bruce needed a miracle.

"My god! We've finally found you!" A familiar voice rang from behind the dark knight and the princess.

Bruce turned around immediately and saw that it was Superman. For once, Batman was glad to see the Kryptonian. Batman's hopes were restored. The superhero descended from the sky and the Green Lantern was close behind.

"We locked onto your signal as soon as we arrived. We came from-" Superman cut himself off as he saw Diana cradled in Bruce's arms. She looked pale and her body was covered in serpentine-like burn wounds. She was covered in cuts and bruises. "What happened to her?"

"There's no time to explain!" Bruce said with urgency. "Take us back to the infirmary! NOW"

Without hesitation, Superman agreed. He immediately approached Batman to take Diana out of the dark knight's arms.

"NO!" Batman yelled angrily as he protectively turned Diana away from Kal-el. "DON'T TOUCH HER! JUST TAKE US BACK!"

_No time to argue, with him. _ Superman thought to himself. He immediately turned around and gave a quick signal to Green Lantern. GL nodded knowingly and created a green sphere around Bruce and Diana. GL and Superman ascended into the air with the knight and the warrior in tow. A time tunnel appeared in the sky and the heroes entered the anomaly. They exited Ancient China and returned to the modern age.

To be continued…

Knight and the Warrior: Episode 4: One


	4. Episode 4: One

The Knight and the Warrior

Episode 4: One

By Long T. Tran

_Disclaimer_: All DC characters are owned by DC Comics. This fic is not intended to make any monetary value. This fic was created in pursuit of reader entertainment.

**JLA Watchtower**

They finally returned to the present and Batman wasted no time in taking Wonder Woman to the infirmary. The clean hallways felt excruciatingly long and the medical facility sensed far. With an ailing Diana in his arms, Bruce carefully balanced between being speedy and being delicate. Bruce looked down at her and saw that she was still unconscious. The lights of the Watchtower's hallways illuminated the Amazon more clearly and her battered appearance only hastened the dark knight's pace. They finally reached the tower's medical ward, where the Martian Manhunter stood ready to receive his incapacitated teammate.

Bruce delicately placed the warrior princess on to the medical platform. As soon as Diana was on the table, bright holograms of various geometric shapes came to life and a green beam of light proceeded to scan the princess from head to toe-- J'onn focused his attention to a nearby monitor and analyzed the information as it filtered in. Batman stood close and watched silently as the scanner's beam made several passes over Wonder Woman.

"I am initiating healing protocols." J'onn announced as he fleetingly typed at the monitor's console.

The green scanning beam started to oscillate into numerous colors in response to the Martian's input commands. As the medical device worked within its design parameters, Batman struggled not to show any hint of emotion under his cowl. He waited patiently as J'onn did his best to heal their teammate.

After a period of excruciating waiting, Bruce could no longer resist the urge to find out what was going on.

"What's her condition?" Batman asked.

"Preliminary scans indicate that Diana has sustained heavy trauma throughout her body." J'onn stated as he poured through the information on the medical screens. "There are multiple bone fractures on her rib cage; there is some internal bleeding in her midsection, signs of a moderate concussion, and multiple lesions throughout her body. Her condition is critical."

"Is the machine working?"

"Yes, it is,." The green Martian answered patiently through the speakers. "The protocols have managed to stabilize her condition."

"So what happens now?" Batman further asked.

"At the moment, we can only observe her and keep tabs on any change in her condition. Thanks to her Amazon physiology, I can assure you that she will heal".

After the exchange, Bruce stood by Diana's side and gazed down at her serene form.

"J'onn..." Batman started.

"Yes, Batman?"

"I would like to personally watch over her."

"I'm not sure if I should allow that…"

Batman pulled back his cowl and looked into the Martian's red eyes with a silent plea. For a brief second, Bruce opened up his mind to J'onn's telepathic abilities and shot a mental image to the Martian. The alien was somewhat stunned by the projection that was sent by Bruce. The green extraterrestrial stood silent and immediately wore a face of empathy. J'onn placed his hand on Bruce's shoulders.

"I completely understand now, Bruce. I will leave you two alone. I will check-in periodically to note any progress on her recovery."

"Thank you, J'onn."

"You're welcome." J'onn replied warmly, as he turned away and exited the room.

As soon as the room was cleared, Bruce locked the door. He walked back to Diana's bedside and took off one of his gloves and began to stroke warrior's face. He was surprised on how cold and clammy her skin felt when he touched her , deepening his despair over her condition. He felt helpless and frustrated that the only thing he could do for the time being was to stand by her side and watch over her.

For the next 48 hours, Batman kept his vigil and every 6 hours, J'onn would check on Diana's condition. Each update, her condition seemed to improve, thanks to her remarkable resilience and the advanced medical technology. Hours later, as the dark knight stood beside the fallen warrior, he sensed the approaching sound of footsteps. He felt a strong hand placed on his shoulder.

"What do you want?"

"You need rest." Superman stated firmly. "You haven't slept a moment since _at least_ our return."

Batman didn't respond. He looked over to the red-caped hero with bloodshot eyes and an unshaved face. "I can't. It's the only thing I have to give her."

Superman pulled up two nearby chairs and signaled for Batman to sit down next to him. The dark knight resisted the temptation for a moment but the sensation of his aching legs screamed for relief. Bruce resigned himself and sat down slowly, scooting his chair against Diana's hospital bed.

"Bruce, tell me what happened back there." Superman's request came off sounding like a demand, "How did Diana end up like this?"

Superman waited patiently as he watched his teammate struggle for words. Batman looked over to Diana with a look of melancholy. This rare display of emotion was almost disconcerting to the Kryptonian, as he had grown accustomed to Batman being impassive.

Bruce cleared his throat. "She was tortured, Clark."

Superman felt a flash of anger but did his best to restrain himself. He shifted his position in his chair. The man of steel listened as Bruce continued.

"I heard everything. I witnessed her screams, her tortured cries…it was almost too much to bear. Seeing victims after a torture was one thing, but playing witness to the torment of someone close to you is something you could never prepare for. I had never thought that Diana would be in such an abhorrent position. It was's like…"

Bruce struggled as he tried to fit the words that matched his emotions.

"It was brutality unleashed on an object of beauty and perfection. It was pure agony to hear her screams and her pained cries. It felt even worse not being able to help her. I was too far away and the horse was excruciatingly slow. It felt like I…no-- _we_ werebeing ripped to shreds."

"I wish I was there to stop it." Superman said guiltily.

"It wasn't right." Bruce stated glumly. "If there were any bright side to this…I would have to credit the new communicator we've developed. Even though, I heard every moment of her torture, I did my best to play anchor for Diana."

"How so?" The Kryptonian inquired.

"For every vile word uttered to her by her tormentor, I had her ignore him and focus on my voice. For every moment she felt alone, I kept her company through our radio connection. I didn't want her to slip away. So I kept encouraging her to stay strong. I told her I was going to be there for her. I would've done anything to trade places with her."

"I know Bruce. I'm sure she's grateful that you were there to support her," Superman assured the dark knight as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "No doubt she would've done the same for you."

The two heroes sat silently. The sounds of the medical monitors were the only sources of noise. Superman sat and watched Diana's silent form. She was wearing an oxygen mask and still comatose. Wonder Woman's vulnerable appearance made the man of steel's heart sank. Before he got any deeper in thought, Superman heard light snoring. He looked over to Batman's direction and saw that the Dark Knight had fallen asleep. Curiously, Clark also noticed that the detective held one of Diana's hands. Superman stood up and smiled at the site. Without much thought, Kent grabbed a nearby blanket and unfolded it. He lightly draped the fabric over the sleeping form of his teammate. The man of steel walked out of the infirmary and turned off the lights.

**Within Dreams **

Bruce found himself in a world that was completely gray and foggy. He was wearing his bat suit but without the cowl over his face. Oddly, the setting was not forbidding or cold. There was an odd sense of calm. Then, a golden light started to penetrate through the haze of the gray mists. The glow was warm and Bruce immediately recognized a female figure dressed in ancient Greek garments. The lady had dark hair, attractive Mediterranean features, she also wore a crown, and she reminded Bruce of the actress Monica Belluci.

"Who are you?" Bruce inquired politely.

"I am Hera, Queen of Mount Olympia."

_This is definitely dream._ Bruce thought to himself.

"Is it true, that the Amazon champion has fallen ill?" The goddess asked.

"Yes." Bruce answered coldly. "She was tortured and poisoned."

"This is most unfortunate. It was basilisk venom, was it?"

Bruce nodded sadly. "Yes, it was. However, she was purged of the venom through the use of the lasso."

"I can only imagine the pain she must have endured. Unfortunately, she was not completely purged. Her mind is still held captive by the presence of the Basilisk. There are still traces of venom within her. Not of a physical sort but of a spiritual nature."

Bruce wore a look of concern. He immediately restrained his emotions reminding himself that this was a dream.

"This is no dream, mortal. I see it on your face that you hold some skepticism about my authenticity. It matters not. This is a matter of urgent attention. Whether you choose to believe me or not, it is entirely up to you."

"Alright then, Hera. I'll play along. Why did you want to talk to me?"

"I came here to aid my champion."

"Why now? I don't recall you ever aiding Diana in any of her past battles."

"That is true. However, she suffered heinously and her suffering was loud and clear to Olympus. The gods will not forsake their champion. We had to answer her prayers."

"You didn't answer my question." Bruce reiterated. "Why come to me? Why not aide her directly?"

"It is because we gods cannot directly interact with the physical world. It is also due to the fact that you exist on this mortal plane and you have the strongest link with her, thus a higher chance of success."

Bruce was stoic at this statement.

"Yes…" Hera said with full confidence. "Deny it or accept it. You do have a strong bond. All it takes is a strong _will_ to break the bonds of the Basilisk. In Diana's case, her will power had already purged the brunt of the taint, but you must join her very essence in order to cleanse the remnants of the Basilisk."

"What would you have me do? I have no telepathic abilities."

"Listen to me well, Knight. There is hope and there is a clear path to aid your teammate. You must bring her to Themyscira. On that island, there is a temple that houses a special pool called the Tears of Gaea. Bathe her into those healing waters and the Basilisk's hold will be undone. I can only emphasize enough the importance that _only you_ can take her into those waters."

"Why only me?" Bruce inquired.

"The Tears of Gaea will only allow warriors that share a strong connection into its waters. Otherwise, its healing properties would only deny."

"What proof will I have that all of this is for real and not a dream?"

Hera only smiled at this question. She simply reached under her garments and took out a golden stamp. The object was palm sized and rectangular. She grabbed Bruce's right hand and held the palm upwards. She planted the stamp onto Batman's palm. He felt the ink on the stamp had begun to wet his palm and saw that the color was green with a gold border.

"Heed my words, Knight. When you face the final remnant of the Basilisk, you must have faith in yourself and the bond that you share with Diana. You must accept."

**To Awake**

Bruce snapped himself out of sleep and looked around. He was awake again. The dark knight was in full costume; cape, cowl, and everything. He immediately felt moisture in his right palm. Batman pulled off his right glove and looked at his palm. There were only two ancient Greek letters on his palm. The letters were stacked on top of each other vertically. He translated the letters as "I H."

"What does this mean?" Bruce muttered to himself.

He looked over to Diana's bed. The warrior princess was still unconscious but her body seemed to have healed. Bruce did a closer inspection and saw that all lesions, bruises, and cuts had completely disappeared. Then, J'onn walked in and did his routine on the medical monitors, checking Diana's condition.

"How long was I out?" Batman asked as he cleared his waking eyes and un-webbed his mind.

"You were asleep for twelve hours." The Martian answered.

"What!" Batman reacted startled. "So this is your second check up for the day?"

The green Martian only nodded.

"So what's her current condition?" Batman inquired.

"It is strange." J'onn commented. "Diana's body has recovered but there seems to be something within her that's keeping her from full recovery. I can barely sense her conscious mind. It's as if something is holding her psyche hostage."

"Were there any trace amounts of venom?"

"No. There were no foreign toxins found within the scans."

Bruce didn't react much to the Martian's prognosis. The hero just stood silent and kept his eyes fixed on the unconscious Amazon. J'onn took this as a signal to leave. As the green Martian exited the room, Bruce gazed down at his exposed palm and pondered the validity of the stamped letters. It was worth a moment's thought to try and figure out if the inked letters in his palm were of someone else's doing or his own. The detective considered rummaging through the security tapes to find the culprit of this mysterious manifestation.

The caped crusader sighed as he looked up from his stamped palm and over to Diana's serene face. Out of all the women Bruce had dated in his life, she was a beauty like no other. No makeup was needed to enhance her natural good looks and she carried a wisdom that reminded him of the important things in life. Her mission was even similar in nature to his.

Caressing her face, he remembered her outreach to him during the aftermath of the O'Hanlon ordeal and how the princess applied her Amazonian principles when pulling Bruce out from the abyss of his own conflicted mind. He compared these times to the quiet ones in Ancient China. Being stranded in that time period was a crisis, yet, somehow, being with Diana had a calming effect on Bruce. He was grateful that she was a part of the team and his desire for her was made even clearer during her captivity with Vandal Savage.

Shaking himself out of his deep thoughts, Bruce realized that, for once in his life, he needed to do something irrational. Anything to help Diana. He knew that he must take a leap of faith in order to save her.He pulled the cowl over his face and gloved his stamped hand. Reaching into his utility belt and brought out a notepad and pen. The masked avenger wrote a quick note and placed it on a headboard over Diana's head. The caped crusader quickly detached all of the diagnostic apparatus and oxygen mask from the princess and swiftly took her into his arms and walked out of the infirmary towards the docking bay. He didn't have much time and had to move quickly to avoid the others. As soon as he reached the docking bay, he immediately spotted a spare Javelin jet to use. He opened the entry hatch and walked in, delicately placing the Princess in the co-pilot's chair. The dark knight activated the Javelin and remotely opened up the bay doors.

"Where do you think you're going?" Superman's voice demanded over the jet's intercom.

"To Themyscira." Batman answered.

"You're taking Diana to the island in her current condition?"

"She's healed enough."

"Bruce, you're being irrational, bring her back to the infirmary so we can figure out what's wrong with her."

"I already know what's wrong with her." Batman replied as he dialed the controls and activated the jet's propulsion.

"Bruce, if you leave the Watchtower…"

"Superman, trust me on this. I have reason to believe that the key to Diana's full recovery is back in Themyscira."

"On what grounds?"

"I have sources…"

"That doesn't sound very convincing." Superman commented. "Even if there was a cure, what makes you think that the amazons would allow you to even set foot on their grounds?"

"You let me worry about that," Batman replied coldly, "If I run into any trouble, I'll call. Over and out."

The dark knight switched off the comm link and maneuvered the jet out of its dock. With a thunderous roar, the Javelin went off to space and headed towards Earth with its precious cargo.

**Themyscira or a Sort of Homecoming**

For the past two and a half millennia, there was always an Amazon sentry on the look out tower overseeing the ocean horizon. The sentry was blonde and wore an Amazonian armor which signified to others that she was a soldier and a captain. The cool ocean wind gently blew a refreshing saltwater scented mist across the female guard. She stood proud and regal in her unending commitment to the preservation of the Amazonian ways that was her sacred duty. The day seemed to be another typical one at the sentry until the captain spotted an approaching jet. The female soldier fiercely rang the alarm bell as soon as she recognized the vehicle to be from man's world and quickly made her way towards the landing area.

As the jet made its landing, a garrison of Amazon soldiers surrounded the craft with spears aimed at the jet's back entry way. As the engines of the jet started to wind down and the dust began to settle, the circle of female soldiers cautiously crept in closer with their weapons at ready. The door finally opens and Batman walked out with their champion in his arms. The sight of a male holding their best drew out a collective gasp from the garrison. The Amazon captain stepped forward with full authority.

"Why have you returned? What have you done to our champion?"

"I come here in peace." Batman responded with a hint of urgency. "Time is short. Please bring me to the temple that holds the Tears of Gaea."

The captain was clearly stunned by his acknowledgement of the temple. "You can't step foot into the temple you are a male. It would be sacrilege."

"I am a male but the Tears would still allow a kindred warrior to step through regardless of gender."

"You're being too presumptuous." The blonde captain sneered.

Without much argument, Batman struggled to free his right glove while he held Diana in his arms. He freed his right hand from his glove and held his palm towards the captain and showed his stamped letters from Hera. The captain and her garrison quickly recognized the letters and kneeled in reverence.

"Only men who carry the mark of Hera are allowed to step foot on this island and use the Tears of Gaea. You must have achieved a deed so great that would even garner the attention of the goddess herself. You may pass."

"Thank you." Batman responded graciously. "Where's the temple?"

"Up that road and on top of that the hill." The captain said as she pointed towards the road that led to a hill crowned with a white-domed temple.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Dark Knight carried off Diana, as he went towards the road. The Amazon captain waited until the hero left. Even in an Amazonian society, women can't wait to gossip.

"Did you see that?" An Amazonian brunette said. "The princess was wounded in battle."

"They're going to the Temple!" Another young female soldier exclaimed. "You know what the means? It means they're bonded."

"Quiet both of you!" The blonde captain commanded. "Can't you see Diana was unconscious? There must be something serious happening to her and it looks like none of the medicines in Patriarch's world had any effect. Why else would they be here? Besides, there is no way the Princess would fall for such a shadowy figure. Call the queen, now!"

"Yes, captain!" The garrison complied dutifully.

**The Tears of Gaea**

The sun was starting to set as Bruce finally reached the hilltop. The temple was white and capped with a dome ordained with various Greek gods of the golden age. The temple entrance itself was already opened and the Dark Knight carried Diana into the sacred building. The interior of the marble palace was straightforward, the floor layout was rectangular with a large pool encompassing the center of the temple. The pool was round and the domed ceiling had an opening that allowed sunlight for illumination. At the head of the pool, stood a marble statue of a female titan named Gaea. The tall statue had two golden chains attached to its arms. Bruce cautiously made his approach towards the round body of water. As he crept near the pool's edge, he immediately noticed that the water had a clear reflective quality. He felt as if there was something supernatural about the way the sun's light bounced off the shimmering surface.

Then Batman heard numerous footsteps gathering from outside. He gazed down at his arms, which cradled Diana's sleeping form. It was now or never. Before he could step towards the waters of the pool, the Amazons of Themyscira started file into the temple. The female soldiers were precise in their movements as they gathered around the Dark Knight and his Amazon teammate. This time they were not armed with spears they came in observance for the rare use of the Tears of Gaea. Then, the crowd parted to make way for the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. As soon as her presence was known, the queen immediately saw her unconscious daughter, Diana, in the arms of a man dressed in a bat suit.

"Don't try to stop me. I've been delayed enough." Batman stated to the crowd.

"What happened to my daughter?" The Amazon queen inquired.

"She fell during battle. The Justice League healed her but she's still unconscious."

"I know. Hera came to me in a vision shortly before your arrival."

"Then you must let me do this."

The queen approached the Knight, "Before you step into those waters, let me ask you this."

Batman waited silently as he shifted Diana's weight in his arms.

"Are you prepared to face what the Tears of Gaea will bring to surface?"

The dark knight nodded in reply.

"Are you willing to commit to the results of this action?"

"For Diana, for the world, and for myself." Bruce answered firmly.

Hippolyta stood silent and immediately gestured to two amazons to man the chains that were attached to the pool's statue of Gaea. She looked over to the Dark Knight and her eyes narrowed. "Step into the pool dark avenger and await my order to place her into the water. As soon as the tears are released, you must clear your mind."

Without further delay, Bruce stepped into the pool with Diana and waited. The princess's red boots were barely touching the pool and her black hair was draped from his arms. Then the amazons that were at the chains started to pull on the golden links. As the rustle of the chains echoed in the temple, bright water started to pour out of the statue's eyes. The water was so illuminated that the pool began to glow in the same quality. The spilling of the Tears of Gaea made the pool hum in a soft high-pitched tone. The temperature of the water began to feel warm and soothing to the dark knight. Bruce began to meditate to clear his mind.

"Now, are you prepared?"

Bruce nodded.

"Place her into the water completely; except for her face."

The hero did as he directed and slowly placed Diana into the water. The bright liquid enveloped the princess and she was almost completely submerged. Without warning, the world around Bruce began to fade to black and Diana had disappeared from his arms. His batsuit disappeared and was replaced by ancient Greek battle garments. The garments were comprised of only a bronze chest plate, sandals, and a hoplite battle kilt. Next thing he knew, he stood in a world completely void of life. The skies were gray and cloudy and the ground was bare and broken. There was a noticeable lack of vegetation. Numerous dead trees were strewn across the barren landscape. He stood in front of a large cave. For some odd reason, he felt the necessity to explore the cave.

Batman entered the cave and saw a large serpentine beast with deathly yellow eyes staring right at him. The basilisk had a black scaly body and it coiled around a large man-sized crystal. There was a dark shadow in the middle of the giant black gemstone that Bruce immediately recognized as a dormant Diana.

"You can't have her." The basilisk hissed evilly. "Her mind and essence belongs to me."

"Release her!"

"You'll have to get past me, human." The monster dared as it uncoiled itself from the crystal that held Diana.

Bruce realized that he had no weapon in hand to combat the beast and there was no immediate cover to stave off the basilisk's oncoming assault. Then the hero remembered Hera's words. "_There are still traces of venom within her. Not of a physical sort but of a spiritual nature…When you face the final remnant of the Basilisk, you must have faith in yourself and the bond that you share with Diana."_

As the giant serpent swiftly leapt at Bruce, he immediately grabbed a handful of dirt in his hands. There was something unquestionably evil about the way the beast moved, yet Batman realized that it was also stupid. The basilisk lunged, but the hero dodged out of the way and threw the course dirt into the eyes of the serpent. The serpent screamed in pain and swung its long body violently and blindly swatted at Bruce. The hero took great caution to avoid the monster's wrath and snuck past him, towards the crystal which contained Diana.

As the basilisk struggled to clear its eyes, Bruce quickly inspected the crystal for any flaws. The tactile surface of the crystal was surprisingly soft and almost gelatin-like. As soon as his fingers touched the facet of the gemstone, Diana's eyes opened. She looked surprised for a moment when she saw Bruce. The sight of the Princess's emerging consciousness was very encouraging to the dark knight. Bruce looked behind to check on the serpent. The giant beast was coming about and close to restoring its vision. He turned back and looked at Diana. Her eyes were fixed on Bruce but she was still frozen within the black gem. The hero could hear the hissing of the Basilisk and he knew full well that the creature was ready to strike.

With very little time to prepare for the serpent's next strike, the dark knight simply closed eyes and centered himself. He tried to think back to Hera's words but could only think of one thing: Faith. There was also one other element for success that was greatly hinted by Hera- faith and what else? He opened his eyes and looked into Diana's beautiful aquamarine eyes and he immediately knew what it was.

Before the basilisk was about to sick its fangs deep into Bruce's back, the hero struck his hands into the crystal like blades. The Basilisk's form recoiled in pain as the energy unleashed by the broken crystal freed Diana's captive mind. Without heed for his own safety, Bruce reached further into the black crystal with both hands. The basilisk recovered its senses and again tried to lunge towards Bruce.

Knowing full well that he did not have much time, Bruce grasped Wonder Woman's hands and pulled back. The warrior princess emerged quickly from the black material and into Bruce's open arms. The knight could feel the familiar warmth of the warrior's body pressed against his. Before the serpent could reach its prey, the aura of Diana's freed spirit radiated and vaporised the beast's entire being. The creature screamed and evaporated into thin air.

Diana leaned back in Bruce's arms as the desolate landscape that surrounded them melted away and was replaced with a pastoral lush backdrop. The clouded gray skies opened up like a curtain and their surroundings were illuminated by bright sunlight. Never in Bruce's life had he experienced such paradise. He never set eyes on a sky so blue, vegetation so lush and green, this was the closest to heaven on earth he'll ever experience. Bruce gazed down at Diana who was still in his embrace. The warrior princess looked at him and smiled. Without any hesitation Bruce slowly pulled in for a kiss. Diana closed her eyes and readied herself for his lips. Then, without warning, Bruce found himself back in the temple of Gaea.

**One**

Night had fallen by the time the knight had returned from the battle with the demons in Diana's mind. The temple was illuminated by the moonlight shining through the opening of the domed roof and the tears in the pool. The room was not as occupied as earlier, leaving only the queen and a handful of handmaidens to watch as Bruce came to his senses. The dark knight finally recovered from the cobwebs of his mind and checked on Diana. His eyes were fixed on her serene face. She was still suspended in the water. His heart sank; he was expecting her to be awake.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Queen Hippolyta asked with a gentle tone.

Batman didn't know how to answer the question. "I'm not sure."

"Did you fully commit yourself when the moment arrived?"

Bruce nodded. "It's just…the result was…"

"Not what you expected?" The queen interjected with a smile.

Again Bruce nodded.

"Just give it a moment. The final stage is near."

Bruce and the amazons waited for only a minute when a pillar of the moon's full light shone through the dome's opening. As if on cue, the lunar beam made the already glowing pool radiated even more brightly. The waters surrounding Bruce and Diana started to dance. Beads of bright liquid started to ascend from the surface of the pool, making the room looked as if it was inhabited by numerous star-like fireflies. Then the glowing driblets began to orbit around Bruce and then even more so around Diana. Bruce could only describe what happened next as magic. The small orbits of tears descended back into the pool and started to churn the glowing waters with vigor and excitement. As the pool came alive, Bruce felt a hand reached up to him from the waters. He peered down and saw that Diana was wide awake. This moment gave the dark knight a sense of elation and relief. Diana rose from the luminescent pool and draped her arms around Bruce. The princess then looked over to her mother the queen.

"Welcome home, Diana,." Hippolyta greeted her daughter.

The princess gazed into Batman's white lenses and smiled softly. Then she turned to her mother. "Mother, will you please allow us some privacy."

"Of course daughter but don't do anything that will defile the grounds of the temple."

Diana was slightly embarrassed by the request she tried to hide the reaction with an awkward smile. "I won't."

Moments later, the room emptied and the two heroes were finally left alone. Batman took off his cowl and looked at Diana with his own eyes. They locked into each other's gazes and gently touched foreheads as they stood in the therapeutic waters of the pool. Bruce had his arms wrapped around Diana's back and Diana had her arms around the detective's neck.

"Welcome back, Diana." Bruce said sincerely.

"How long was I out?" Diana asked with concern in her voice.

"Three or four days, I'm not sure. I lost count."

"Where's the rest of the team?"

"Back at the watchtowerWatchtower."

Diana pulled away from Bruce somewhat stunned. "You came here alone?"

The hero nodded.

"I assume that Clark objected?"

Bruce nodded again but more proudly.

"Did the Amazon guards try to stop you?"

"Yes, but I got past them without too much trouble."

For a moment, Diana did not react; she just stood there and stared at Bruce silently.

"Bruce Wayne, you are incorrigible." Diana smiled, "You risked alienating the entire League and the wrath of Amazonian justice just to heal me?"

"Would it make you feel better if I asked for their permission first?" Bruce asked dryly, yet with a devilish grin.

"Was that a joke you just cracked?" Diana asked then started to laugh full-heartedly. Her reaction gave Bruce a good excuse to smile.

It felt good to have her back. She was vibrant again and full of life. This was the moment he wanted and fought for. When she finished laughing, the mood turned serious, as Diana stepped back into Bruce's arms, embraced his masculine body, and rested her head on his broad shoulders.

"Why did you go through all that trouble, Bruce?"

"What trouble? I did what any teammate would do."

Diana pulled back far enough to look sternly in the eyes of her rescuer. "Oh. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"The last thing I can recall was being back in Savage's palace yard. I remember how you left me in the courtyard to take on the citadel's entire garrison."

Bruce nodded. "Justice was served upon each and everyone of those thugs."

"You also went to great lengths to keep me from slipping during those horrid torture sessions with Savage. You were there with me all along. Whatever became of Savage?"

"I took care of him." Batman answered. "Just think of the perfect poetic justice. You won't be too far off."

"A few moments ago, I was held hostage. It was _mentally tasking_ to keep that basilisk from overtaking my mind completely. For a while, I was trapped and isolated…then I felt your presence. You made it a lot easier for me to overcome the remaining influence of that damned venom. I couldn't have done it alone. We were _one_ and we triumphed. And you know what? I felt a hidden side of you that I knew existed."

Bruce started to caress Diana's back shoulders. "Freeing your consciousness from the influence of that serpent was well worth it," he confessed. "I never thought that spending a moment in your mind could be so….soothing. I peered into your very _being _and it was immaculate and beautiful."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere…but thank you for the kind words."

"Looking back, this entire ordeal; from O'Hanlon to China to now, reminded me of something very important. Something that was fundamental. Something I almost forgot."

"What was that?" Diana inquired curiously.

"It reminded me of my humanity." Bruce confessed whole heartedly to the Amazon. "And only you had the ability to remind me of that."

Diana smiled and her eyes teared up. She hugged Bruce tighter, pressing hard against him. "I didn't realize that I could have that effect on you. You went through an entire personal odyssey for me. You bested Savage's men, defeated Vandal himself, protected me from the unknown, vanquished the basilisk, and finally opened up to me. You. My all. My love. My own… Odysseus."

Without another passing moment, the two heroes embraced each other hard and kissed each other passionately. Their lips met; backed by years of loneliness, tension, and hopes. Together, the two heroes stepped through the unknown realm of possibilities of a romantic relationship. Their hearts were now tied and bound. As Bruce brushed his lips against Diana's they tasted sweet and felt soft and full. He felt her body press hard against his as if her very being was melting into his. This was magic and the dark knight couldn't remember why he denied himself this sensation for so long.

After the kiss, they waded out of the pool and exited the temple. Batman was back in full costume and Diana managed to find more comfortable garments from her sister amazons. They held each other's hands and started to tour the paradise island under the bright gaze of the moon. As the heroes walked, they enjoyed every second together. For once in their lives, all was right in the world. The celestial stars twinkled above their heads and the rest of the world was oblivious to their newfound love and tenderness. As they reached Diana's personal home, they walked into the marble abode and found themselves in each other's warm embrace. For long spans of shared silence and , they both thought of the unknown. Then, their fears crept into their minds and each came to a tragic conclusion about their relationship. Diana pressed her body harder against Bruce.

"This romance isn't destined to last." Diana stated coldly.

"Yes, I know." Bruce said in agreement.

"We won't last a day out there."

"No…we won't." Bruce said almost sadly.

"We should make the best of this night…our first and last night together.

"Yes, we should. Before the world spins out of control again."

Diana led the dark knight into her bedroom. Their final evening together as a _classic_ romantic couple was a final farewell to what could have been a normal relationship. Despite being romantically involved with each other for only less than a day, it was perfect enough for the both of them. For that short time together, there was no angst, no hesitations, no second thinking, it was all pure bliss and euphoria. Diana was content that they were together unabated. Bruce was happy in knowing that an evening with the most beautiful woman in the world will be his to forever cherish. She would forever hold a special place within his heart. Untainted and Unspoiled. They passionately kissed on her soft bed. Only the moon and the stars played witness to this lovely yet short interlude. Moments later, the two soul mates joined their mind, body and soul. The world was oblivious as the two, once again, became one.

**Epilogue…**

Three months later, Clark and Diana sat in the Metropolis café having lunch together. Kent wore his business suit while Diana wore sunglasses, a blue top, and black slacks. They sat at the café window while they waited for their order to arrive.

"How are you feeling, Diana?"

"I feel fine. Never felt better."

"Is everything alright since your impromptu homecoming?"

"You mean with my mother? I guess you can say things are alright again. Considering I broke that sacred No Men Allowed law again. Luckily, it wasn't my fault."

"I wonder how Batman was able to circumvent Amazonian justice."

"He was prepared."

"When isn't he prepared?" Kent said rhetorically.

She smiled warmly. "That man never ceases to amaze me."

"Tell me about it." Clark commented. "Did I ever tell you how he threw me across a dance club knowing full well that I had superpowers? That was when we first met."

Diana nearly choked on her straw and laughed. "Did he really?"

Kent nodded.

Diana chuckled again. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me."

A silent moment passed. Clark began to stir the straw in his milkshake, churning the cold sweet contents within his glass. Diana took notice of this.

"Is there something on your mind, Clark?"

"Uh, yeah…" The man of steel said somewhat clumsily, he adjusted his round glasses. "I hate to sound nosy but…umm, are you and Bruce romantically involved?"

Diana was taken aback. "What makes you say that?"

"Well… when you were first brought back from China. The way he was so protective over you was somewhat out of character for him. I've never seen him act like that around anybody. I mean, he went out of his way to bring you back from the brink. The man was determined to see you through your recovery. He also watched over you in the infirmary for long periods of time without any sleep. There was something extraordinary about that display of commitment. When you two returned from Themyscira, I was expecting you two to be well…together. It didn't turn out that way; you two went on as if nothing had ever happened. For the past three months, I watched for signs that might've indicated a relationship. Even J'onn didn't detect any of the usual tension between the two of you. Not like before, no more innuendoes, neither eye contact, nor flirtatious banter."

"Now, Clark." Diana commented. "I didn't realize you kept track of such things. I was expecting the other girls of the Justice League to do something like that.

"Yeah…well…" Kent stammered embarrassingly. "You two are senior members of the league; of course I would care about those things. You two are also my closest friends."

Diana sat silent and sipped her milkshake with a slight grin. It was nice to be around Clark outside of work. Then she took in a deep breath and held her teammate's hand and squeezed lightly yet firmly. "Clark, I won't lie to you." The warrior said with seriousness.

"Bruce and I _are_ romantically involved."

Clark's eyes lifted and he was stunned. "You two sure are doing a very good job of hiding it."

"We are meticulous. I have to admit."

"How long are you going to keep this a secret?"

"For as long as it takes." Diana stated.

"Who else knows?"

"Only you, Alfred, and my mother; we'll probably let the rest of the Bat clan in on it…eventually."

"Will anybody else know?" Clark inquired.

"No and we'd like to keep it that way."

"Can I ask why?"

"There are many reasons. I have no secret identity to protect myself and those who are involved in my personal life. I am constantly hounded by the paparazzi. I have enemies and Bruce has enemies. They would all try to get at one of us to get the other."

"I understand completely. It's kind of like keeping your own secret identity, except in this case, a secret relationship."

"That's exactly right."

"Somewhat impractical, don't you think? I mean, it's hard enough that your life is an open book but keeping your secret romance from the rest of the world is going to be difficult." Clark commented with concern.

"You could say that…but what in life isn't?" Diana retorted.

"You're right." Superman said in agreement. "So how often do you two meet or date? How far are you two going to go?"

"We try to see each other once or twice a month depending on how busy we are. Usually it's a dinner date at his manor or a stroll in some remote part of the world where there's no one to hound us. Eventually, we'll get bolder and want to go out to more traditional settings."

"This shouldn't be a problem considering Batman is the master of stealth." Clark said confidently.

"As far as how far the relationship goes…as far as we can take it."

"I'm happy that the two of you are together. I wish you two the best of luck."

"Thank you, Clark." Diana said happily. "I'm happy that you support us."

The two were silent again. Then a waitress arrived with their orders. Clark had a Swiss mushroom cheeseburger while Diana had a Caesar Salad without the bacon. They both started on their meals. "Clark? Can I ask you a favor?" Diana requested as she mixed her dressing with her salad.

"Sure Diana, ask me anything." Clark replied as he bit down on his scrumptious burger.

"Please don't tell anybody of our relationship. It's very important for me and Bruce to keep our own private world a secret."

"Of course, I do anything to protect that."

"Thanks, Clark."

"You're welcome, Diana." He said as he bit more portions out of his burger. Then something occurred to the man of steel. "By the way, how did you two get past J'onn's telepathy?"

Diana smiled modestly as she took her first bite. "That's our little secret."

**The End! **

**See you in the sequel! Instead of the seriesit being called the Knight and the Warrior 2,. iIt'll be called named KW2. Look for it soon! **

I hope you liked the read as much as I enjoyed the writing! Please send me your thoughts, feedback, and comments. I'm curious to read your views on this fan fic! Again, thank you for staying with the story and thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to step into my imagination and taking on the ride.


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